Guidance to licensing authorities Primary legislation
The demise of this site raised questions of the ability of the Commission to protect UK customers from rogue traders, although overall responsibility for UK online regulation was only given to the UKGC in November 2014. In 2014, the UK-regulated online bookmaker Canbet went into receivership, owing millions to customers. The Gambling Commission has come under fire for not preventing the spread of Fixed odds betting terminals on the high street. An investigation found that the companies failed to put in place effective safeguards to prevent consumers suffering gambling harm and against money laundering between November 2014 and October 2017.
That accountability is exactly why we only ever feature UKGC-licensed casinos on CasinoReg. A casino with a valid licence has agreed to rules on fairness, security, responsible gambling and player-fund protection, and can be investigated, fined or shut down if it breaks them. A UK Gambling Commission licence is the single most important thing to check before playing at any online casino. Knowing how to check if a UK casino is UKGC licensed is the most important thing any UK player can do before depositing real money online.
Guidance for small businesses and sole traders running a gambling business. View guidance about what you need to tell us when you apply for a licence Guidance about the information we’ll ask for when applying for a licence. Find out how much it will cost to apply for a licence and ongoing annual fees. Information about the activities we licence, the fees you need to pay and when. If you want to complain about a gambling business or need further help please contact us.
- Non-remote gaming machine technical – supplier licence
- These regulations could cover matters such as whether appropriate numbers of staff are trained to operate the tables, and the extent to which such staff (and therefore tables) are available for use.
- The second stage of the process only applies where the number of applications which the licensing authority would provisionally grant under the stage one process exceeds the number of available casino premises licences.
- The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) published its gambling white paper in April 2023, which set out the government’s plans for modernising the regulation of the gambling sector.
The UKGC’s online fee calculator helps estimate costs, making it easier to plan how to open a casino in the UK. For example, a small non-remote casino with a GGY under £550,000 pays around £5,341 annually. An operating license is mandatory for offering casino games like poker, blackjack, or slots, while a premises license is required for physical locations, granted by local authorities. Whether you’re launching a high-street venue or a digital platform, understanding casino licensing requirements UK is the first step. To operate legally, every UK casino must secure UKGC licensing, a rigorous process designed to uphold industry standards. Opening a casino in the UK is a venture steeped in opportunity but bound by stringent regulations.
Fees vary based on your casino’s Gross Gambling Yield (GGY). Each license ensures casino compliance with UKGC standards. The UKGC offers several licenses depending on your casino’s scope. The LCCP is not static, we make amendments or additions to take account of developments in the industry or emerging evidence on the most effective means of promoting socially responsible gambling.
As such, any change in the composition of gaming machines which results in a higher share of Category B machines will represent an uplift in GGY for operators. While we have no direct evidence on the rate of gambling harm for those participating on gaming machines in bingo and arcade venues specifically, we can use net expenditure and session length data to consider the possible risks of gambling harm. The rationale for considering this option is primarily to ensure that a truly balanced offer of gaming machines is available to customers following the loosening of restrictions from 80/20. We propose that an operator must notify the licensing authority of their intention to increase their number of gaming machines.
Almost all British casinos have some of these bonuses on their sites. One of the great perks of UKGC casinos is that they give out bonuses. Recently launched casinos, such as Justin Casino, BestOdds and 21bets, showcase the latest developments in the industry. These offshore casino sites do not operate under UK regulations and often do not adhere to the same standards. The Gambling Commission’s ongoing efforts ensure that the UK remains one of the safest environments for online gambling globally. Online casinos in the United Kingdom are subject to some of the strictest regulatory standards.
Application Process
What player protections could be adopted in casinos for those customers participating in sports betting? If you are a casino licence operator, what impact is permitting sports betting expected to have on the Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) of your casino(s)? Should all 1968 Act casinos be permitted to offer sports betting, regardless of size? Therefore, 1968 Act casinos are losing out on potential revenue that might otherwise have been generated if they were allowed to offer sports betting services. Consumers (particularly international tourists) still bet on sporting events via mobile devices while in casinos, irrespective of whether sports betting is permitted or not.
As well as a fixed numerical maximum, the number of gaming machines must not exceed a specified multiple of the number of gaming tables used in that casino (Regulation 3 of the 2009 Regulations addresses when a gaming table is to be treated as being used in a casino at a particular time) This enables the holder of a converted casino premises licence who wants to utilise the new entitlements to apply to the relevant licensing authority to vary that licence so the casino plan can show the location and extent of any part of the premises which will be a table gaming area. Extended converted casino premises are also a new category of premises which applies to those premises which take up their increased gaming machine allowance. Non-remote linked licences gaming machine technical For online platforms, a remote casino license covers digital operations, and a gambling software license is needed if you develop gaming software.
In April 2023, significant changes to gambling regulations were proposed by the government, particularly targeting online slots. Apart from reviewing the activities of the licensed operators, the Commission is authorised to take regulatory actions against those licencees who breach the rules in some way. The 2014 Act changed the licensing requirements so that any company wishing to advertise gambling and take bets from consumers in England, Wales, or Scotland must hold a licence issued by the Gambling Commission. In October 2020, the Commission published the results of an investigation of BGO, GAN, and NetBet, three UK online gambling operators.
By choosing a UK-regulated casino, you truly do yourself a favour. Casinos that operate under the UKGC license offer a robust and secure gaming environment. This gives Brits plenty of options and displays how flexible the license can be. The way different casino sites do this varies from one brand to the next, which is why it’s smart to first understand the offer types. The latter is a good sign of trust, and if there is a UKGC licence in there as well, the site is especially good.
A premises licence issued by a local licensing authority will however continue to authorise either a ‘small’ or a ‘large’ 2005 Act (opens in new tab) Casino premises. While other regulators may appear on gambling sites, only a casino license UK guarantees legal access for British players. Choosing a UKGC-licensed casino is the only way to guarantee your safety when playing online. Before signing up at any online casino, it’s important to make sure the site is properly licensed by the UK Gambling Commission.
A support initiative committed to helping victims of offshore casino abuse reclaim their funds and rebuild their lives. What the MGA does, what it does not protect, and the recovery options open to you. But an MGA licence is not a UK licence, so GamStop and the UK dispute routes only apply where a brand also holds a UK Gambling Commission licence. A plain-English guide to whether gambling debts can be enforced in the UK. See our overview of your rights with a casino not on GamStop. If you have already lost money there, you may still have options.
Such casinos may operate as card clubs without offering casino games. Most of these casinos fall below the size thresholds of the other two categories. This activity allows you to provide remote casino under specific circumstances. However, unlike Gamstop, Gamban is not licensed by the UK Gambling Commission and is instead a third-party service that blocks access to gambling-related sites. If you have signed up to Gamstop and are still struggling with finding yourself playing on casinos not on Gamstop.
Play Responsibly
The UK is constantly working to make the gambling industry safer. Understandably, industry regulations are continuously updated to prevent criminal activity in this massive industry. The UK is the second-largest gambling market in Europe, with British gamblers spending approximately £14 billion ($18.9 billion) per year.
(b)lobby areas and toilet facilities may be taken into account in calculating the non-gambling area; but the non-gambling area must not consist exclusively of lobby areas and toilet facilities, Have a gambling area, the floor area of which is no less than 200m², and The UKGC carries out regular reviews, audits, and investigations to ensure that operators continue to meet all requirements. Misleading advertising has led to several high-profile fines for operators in recent years, and this shows just how seriously the UKGC takes this. They must actively monitor player behaviour to identify signs of problem gambling and intervene when necessary.
The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) is a respected EU regulator many operators also hold, but on its own it doesn’t provide UK-specific protections like GAMSTOP. Complain to the casino first, and if you’re not satisfied, escalate for free to its independent Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider. Reports from players help the Commission identify operators that breach the rules, even though it doesn’t resolve individual disputes directly. The UK Gambling Commission can investigate and take action, including fines, additional conditions, suspension or revocation of the licence. Casinos that accept UK players without a UK Gambling Commission licence are operating outside UK regulation, so they don’t provide UK player protections such as GAMSTOP, fund safeguarding or independent complaints. It guarantees audited, fair games, protection of your deposited funds, age and identity verification, required safer-gambling tools including GAMSTOP, honest advertising with capped wagering, and access to independent dispute resolution.
In addition, there would be limited opportunities for operators to meet customer demand for Category B machines and increase GGY. It is possible that operators could use inaccessible tablets and in-fill machines to increase the overall number of Category B3 machines in their venues, undermining the principle of a balanced offer of higher and lower stake machines giving genuine choice to the customer. However, we are aware of the possibility that some operators may attempt to maximise their number of Category B cabinets above and beyond that intended by the 50/50 proposal by siting tablets which are not genuinely accessible or in-fill machines in their venues. We anticipate that our proposal to allow operators to increase their number of Category B machines to 50 percent will enable operators to better meet customer demand, and in turn minimise the likelihood of ‘available for use’ guidance being subverted. The Gambling Commission has expressed concern that operators currently seek to maximise Category B machine numbers by providing Category C and D games on inaccessible small tablets or via in-fill machines.
These are aimed at making sure all gambling is safe and fair, with the UK Gambling Commission overseeing all gambling activities within the UK. Here, you can use their search feature to look up the casino by name. First thing to do is to check the casino’s footer for the UKGC logo. This allows us to give you a balanced and transparent overview of each casino. The ratings are based on comprehensive UK casino reviews carried out by Bojoko’s casino experts. It offers games, ranging from slots to table games and live casino, from over 50 game suppliers.
Domain Score’s WHOIS transparency component looks at whether a casino domain’s registered ownership is publicly visible. One that doesn’t can drag down the Domain Scores of multiple seemingly unrelated casino brands. A proprietary casino platform gives the operator direct control over the technology stack, including SSL configuration, DNS management, and the security infrastructure that Domain Score assesses. A casino can have fully certified RNGs and simultaneously carry a poor Domain Score driven by weak SSL configuration. The licence authorises non gamestop casinos games of chance, which includes slots, table games like blackjack and roulette, and live dealer products delivered via video stream.
In all these cases, UKGC rules require operators to act transparently and handle complaints by following published procedures. For example, a player may report unfair or confusing terms and conditions, such as very low betting limits or too many games being restricted. One of the most common reasons players complain is that a casino is claiming that the player has broken its terms or rules and is therefore withholding the player’s winnings. However, if that does not work, then players must provide documents such as a passport, driving licence, or utility bill.
Remote gaming machine technical – full licence Non-remote 2005 Act casino operating licence Non-remote 1968 Act casino operating licence Non-remote pool betting operating licence