Licences and fees

As previously discussed, an optimal strategy to combat disassociation when gambling combines breaks in play with safer gambling messaging. (Optional response) Open text box (Optional response)i) Monetary thresholds ii) Time thresholds Sliding scale However, the government believes that there could be benefits to harmonising these measures as part of direct cashless gambling.

We publish registers of licensed businesses, individuals, regulatory actions and premises. The government will increase the maximum cap that licensing authorities can charge by 15% through a made negative statutory instrument. We do not believe that a 10% increase is sufficient to future-proof licensing authority funding in line with the recovery of the land-based sector from the challenges of COVID-19 and rising energy prices in recent years.

If more applications are received than the number of available licences, the authority must determine whether each application would be granted a licence if there were no limit on the number of licences that the authority could grant. Authorities should think carefully before entering into any agreements or arrangements with potential casino operators which might be perceived to affect their ability to exercise their stage two functions objectively and without having prejudged any of the issues. However, the law does not prevent unlicensed casinos such as Stake – and a host of other brands that chiefly target football viewers in east Asia – from non gamstop casino sponsoring British clubs.

This will take into consideration that there is likely to be diminishing returns, such that the more machines you have, the less GGY would be generated per machine. This will be used to model the estimated total increase in GGY for casinos in the final impact assessment. Combining this with the number of machines, this yields an average annual GGY of £57,500 per machine. These generate 11% of all GGY generated from Category B machines. On the other hand, in 62% of all sessions from April to September 2019, the player either won money on the machines or lost an amount up to £20. This data was collected by the Gambling Commission from over 80% of the land-based casino sector.

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.

Therefore, we would like to understand whether licensing authorities consider that they have the powers they need to ensure that the current rules can be adequately enforced. Ensuring that regulation of land-based and online sectors is more equitable will assist recovery and enable the sector to remain viable. Data was also provided on the increase in session times at busy periods in a 1968 Act casino, compared to a 2005 Act casino of comparable size.

If you’re looking for fast withdrawal casinos in the UK, try out Casumo, QuickBet, and WinWindsor Casino. As it’s the largest gambling market in the world, the United Kingdom makes sure that all casino sites adhere to its strict legislation. Plus, you’ll get access to ample responsible gambling tools to keep your gaming habits under control.

• These Regulations make amendments to the Gambling Act 2005 (Gaming Tables in Casinos) (Definitions) Regulations 2009 (opens in new tab) (the 2009 Regulations) to alter what constitutes a “gaming table” in a casino for the purposes of section 172(3) to (5) of the Gambling Act 2005.
• The comprehensive directory of gambling operators licensed by the Gambling Commission of Great Britain.
• They are therefore essential for ensuring that licensing authorities can properly regulate gambling in their areas.
• To realize this, bookmakers are required to ensure that online wagering promotions are not aired to minors.

An operating licence allows you to provide gambling activities to customers in Great Britain. That said, established casinos with longer track records give some players extra reassurance. Most of the casinos in this list process the majority of withdrawals within 24 hours.

The Key Responsibilities of the UKGC

Obtaining a UK licence requires extensive background checks, financial audits, technical testing, and ongoing compliance monitoring. The UKGC is widely considered one of the world’s most rigorous gambling regulators. The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is the government body that regulates commercial gambling in Great Britain. The statutory levy, financial vulnerability checks, online stake limits, and enhanced AML requirements introduced between 2024 and 2025 represent the most substantial expansion of operator obligations since the 2014 advertising reforms. The combination of the Gambling Act 2005, the LCCP, the RTS, and the 2023 White Paper reforms has produced a framework that places significant compliance demands on operators — but also provides consumers with a high degree of protection. The UK Gambling Commission operates one of the most comprehensive and actively enforced gambling regulatory regimes in the world.

As part of the gambling laws in the UK, licensees must obtain and verify the identity of a customer before permitting them to gamble. Personal licenses cover the key personnel of gambling businesses. The local authority is in charge of determining all the premises’ fees. In addition, the applicant should prove their right to occupy the premises. The exact cost can be calculated by using the Gambling Commission’s online calculator. Gambling businesses need an operating license to provide the services mentioned in the section above.

The higher end takes into consideration that some local authorities may need additional funding to carry out the full extent of administration of their gambling duties and gambling enforcement, such as the development of policy statements. We do not currently have sufficient evidence to inform an appropriate percentage increase to the current cap on licensing fees. Any fee increase must be linked to the cost to that particular local authority of carrying out its gambling functions. We recognise that the maximum for licensing authority fees has not been updated since 2007, during which time inflation has inevitably reduced its value.

UKGC Licensing Explained

Some have expressed a desire to do more to apply local considerations in their areas when making licensing decisions. For example, existing powers, such as local policy statements, allow licensing authorities to account for factors such as public health and crime. In England and Wales, the government sets a cap and licensing authorities have flexibility below that to set their fees. The maximum annual fee for an adult gaming centre (arcade) is £1,000 in England and Wales, and £700 in Scotland. For example, the maximum annual fee for a large casino is £10,000 in England and Wales, and £7,500 in Scotland.

Data provided for a London casino over a four-week period in October 2019 showed a clear correlation between average dwell time and occupancy rates. Evidence suggests that this can make customers who have secured a machine reluctant to take a break as they may be unable to play again. In order to ensure local authorities can continue to carry out their licensing and enforcement duties effectively, we are proposing to raise this cap by either 10%, 20% or 30%. This included a number of measures to adjust outdated regulatory restrictions applying to the land-based gambling sector. The Gambling Act Review white paper published in April 2023 set out the government’s plans for modernising the regulation of gambling in Great Britain.

The UK is the second-largest gambling market in Europe, with British gamblers spending approximately £14 billion ($18.9 billion) per year. Sumsub explains how gambling businesses can stay compliant and avoid fines in the UK. Always verify licence details on the official Gambling Commission website. Helping British players find safe, regulated gambling sites.

This includes tools to help control your gambling and easy access to problem gambling resources. You should play at licensed casino sites to have a secure, fair, and responsible experience. On receiving the application, we may make a representation to the local licensing authority about it.

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.

These responses primarily came from small businesses who supplied tablet gaming machines to the market. Responses stated that the commercial flexibility permitted by Option 2(b) would enable bingo operators to reduce the number of Category C and D gaming machines which they make available, while making slight increases in the number of Category B cabinet gaming machines. One operator, under both options, stated that it would increase the number of Category B cabinets machines by 2 to 3 per venue, while removing the vast number of smaller in-fill gaming machines. In regards to the second objective, under Option 3, the evidence provided suggests that over time it is likely that many operators would reduce their offer of Category C and D cabinet gaming machines substantially and offer predominantly Category B cabinet gaming machines. The first is to ensure that operators benefit from commercial flexibility to increase GGY through the ability to make more Category B machines available and/or reduce their energy costs through the removal of underused Category C and D gaming machines. Under Option 1, we received responses from industry which suggested that only slight increases in Category B gaming machines would be made.

A number of casino licences exist across the UK but are not actually in use. In certain areas of the UK it is simply not possible to seek a new casino premises licence because the law prevents it. What this means is that it is not always possible to even apply for a new casino premises licence because of this cap. The application for a premises licence is made to the licensing authority. An operating licence cannot be transferred in the traditional licensing sense but the Act does allow for changes in ‘corporate control’ and other forms of change. In order to seek a casino operating licence you must have some considerable knowledge of the industry and practice of operating a casino at the ‘coal face’.