Licensees Hub

These conditions are ones which apply to a licence unless the licensing authority decides to exclude them (in which case the authority can impose alternative conditions relating to the same matter). Where the licensing authority rejects an application for a licence, the applicant may appeal. Where the licence is refused, the licensing authority must give reasons for their decision. 436.Where the licensing authority determines to grant the licence, they must give reasons for the attachment or exclusion of any conditions. 435.Following the grant or rejection of a premises licence, the authority must notify the applicant, the Commission, any person who made representations, the police, and HM Customs and Excise of their decision as soon as reasonably practicable. The procedures vary, depending on whether representations have been made, and what the licensing authority proposes to do with regard to licence conditions.

Please provide any views or any other information on the adequacy of player protections for those using gaming machines in casinos. How do you expect the measures allowing more gaming machines in 1968 Act casinos to impact the provision of other product offerings within casinos e.g. table gaming? How do you expect the measures allowing more gaming machines in 1968 Act casinos that meet certain size requirements to affect the demand for gaming machines in casinos? For example, a casino with two premises licences that meets the size and physical separation requirements could site 160 machines – more than a Large 2005 Act casino.

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.

We publish registers of licensed businesses, individuals, regulatory actions and premises. With our help, you can find new casinos, bonuses and offers, and learn about games, slots, and payment methods. Our experts test and review casino, betting, and bingo sites so you don’t play in a bodged-up joint that’s all mouth and no trousers. Bojoko is your home for all online gambling in the United Kingdom. You can tell if a casino has a UK licence by checking the bottom of the casino website. You can get bonuses on UK licensed casino sites with varying promotions.

They also highlighted the importance of card account verification given the potential for stolen debit cards to be used to make direct payments to gambling machines. They also stated that individual gambling businesses should be allowed to decide if they would like to update their systems to provide direct debit card payments as it would be a significant cost to businesses to update all machines to have this functionality. We expect that operators will ensure that Category C and D machines made available to meet the ratio are available for use and have genuine customer appeal. We received some responses which suggested that Option 1 would be preferable to Option 2(a) for ensuring that a genuine offer of Category C and D machines are made available to customers.

In December 2023, the Gambling Commission launched a new ‘Tell us something in confidence’ service to report criminal and suspicious activity in the gambling industry. 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.

The Commission expects operators to maintain robust AML policies, procedures, and controls, and to conduct customer due diligence (CDD) and enhanced due diligence (EDD) where required. Licensed operators are subject to the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017. From 6 April 2025, a new mandatory statutory levy replaced the previous voluntary system of contributions to research, education, and treatment (RET) of gambling harms.

• A casino can operate within its licence in many respects while falling short on technical infrastructure or transparency.
• There are two types of Category D slot-style machines, one that pays out a small amount of cash, and one that pays out tickets which can be exchanged for a small prize, toy or sweet.
• For casinos that are 500sqm or larger, the table gaming area must be equal to or greater than 250sqm.
• The Gambling Commission does not issue premises licences.

407.Part 18 contains provisions requiring all licensing authorities to set three-year licensing policies in respect of all of their functions under the Act, including premises licences. Conditions on premises licences can be set by the licensing authority, and by the Secretary of State, or Scottish Ministers. 403.However, premises licences are not the only form of authorisation for the use of premises for providing gambling facilities. This includes betting shops, casinos, bingo premises and arcades. New casino premises licences issued under the Act will fall into one of two categories namely large casino premises licence or small casino premises licence. By signing up to Gamstop, you are given the opportunity to prevent access to all participating UK licensed online casinos in the system for a period of time.

We explain the legal position in detail in our guide to whether non-GamStop casinos are legal in the UK. Common examples are licences issued in Curacao, Anjouan or other offshore jurisdictions. The single most reliable check casinos not on gamstop is the UK Gambling Commission’s public register, which lists every business licensed to offer gambling to people in Great Britain. If you are worried that a casino is not properly licensed, you can usually find out in a few minutes.

Business Matters

The consultation asked the following questions on licence fees. We would expect operators to inform the Commission that they are intending to move onto the expanded regime as these changes will have a material impact on an operator’s business. Operators moving onto the new regime would almost certainly result in a material change to the layout of the premises.

432.Additional procedures apply in the case of applications for a casino licence. The exception to this is an applicant for a premises licence that authorises a track to be used for accepting bets. A premises licence will not be issued until to an applicant until he holds an operating licence. Only people with a right to occupy premises are eligible to apply for a premises licence.

It is intended as an informational reference for operators, compliance professionals, and researchers. This guide covers the legal framework, licence types, application process, fees, ongoing compliance obligations, and the significant regulatory reforms that have reshaped the UK market between 2023 and 2026. With 2,662 active operator records tracked in the Gambling License Register, the UK represents the largest single jurisdiction in this database by licence count. The United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) is widely regarded as one of the most rigorous gambling regulators in the world. You can now view the full LCCP online, search, save, or print it off. The Licence conditions and codes of practice set out the requirements all licensees must meet in order to hold a Gambling Commission licence.

Subsections (3) to (5) of section 172 of the Act make provision as to the number of gaming machines which may be made available for use in a casino by the holders of a licence issued under the 2005 Act. The UKGC gambling licence is seen as one of the most credible and strictest licences within the industry, with the proactive organisation responsible for providing licences to online casinos that only operate responsibly. 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. As a first step in licensing a casino, the licensing authority will have to invite applications for any casino premises licences that it may issue. Licence holders should consider whether, as a result of the changes and gambling facilities offered, an operating licence (OL) variation is required with regard to fee category and/or the licensed activities being offered (such as betting). The maximum number of gaming machines that may be made available for use on the premises remains unchanged at 80.

This will ensure that Category C and D machines made available by operators have genuine customer appeal and/or are genuinely available for use, as opposed to being used as a means to increase the number of Category B cabinets a venue can site. The Gambling Commission has raised concern that some of these machines appear to have been designed primarily to maximise the number of Category B cabinet machines which can be sited by an operator, rather than to provide a genuine lower stake gambling offer to customers. However, to mitigate against gambling-related harm, the reform of the rule also seeks to ensure that a genuine offer of lower staking Category C and D machines remain available for customers. Additionally, the reform seeks to allow operators to reduce their energy costs through the removal of unused but energy intensive Category C and D machines and/or increase GGY through increased numbers of higher yielding Category B machines. Some operators were keen to highlight the increasing cost burden for land-based casinos in other areas, but acknowledged the logic of applying consistency across regimes. However, we do not intend on changing any of the requirements placed on operators as we think that the current regulatory framework will ensure that licensing authorities and the Commission are notified when changes are proposed to premises under these circumstances.

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 games of chance, which includes slots, table games like blackjack and roulette, and live dealer products delivered via video stream.

Over half of respondents who indicated an intention to move onto the new regime stated they would look to take up the maximum entitlement of 80 gaming machines in at least some of their venues (57%). These respondents also suggested that increasing the availability of gaming machines will not make customers more likely to take breaks, due to the prospect of other customers taking over their machine and claiming their ‘perceived winnings’. This opposition was primarily from industry stakeholders, who argued that the other space requirements and the imposition of a machine to table ratio would ensure a balance between table gaming, machines and non-gambling space. The casino measures section of the consultation received 41 responses from a variety of stakeholders, including gambling operators and trade bodies, local government organisations, campaign groups and academics. We will introduce an age limit of 18 and over for the use of ‘cash-out’ Category D slot-style gaming machines.

Not regarded as gaming where there is no prize offered in “money or money’s worth”. Fantasy betting (payment to back a ‘league’ or ‘portfolio’ selection over a period of time, for example in relation to sport) Sports/horse race betting (if regulated separately to other forms of betting)

Who can apply?

These regulations may, in particular, specify how conditions, including mandatory conditions specified by the Secretary of State, are to appear on the licence. The Secretary of State may make further regulations about the form and content of the licence. 411.Premises licences must include the information described in this section. Pool-betting on a track, by the track occupier, will require a pool betting operating licence to be held. Scottish Ministers will exercise a number of powers under this Part, prescribing procedures and fees for the premises licensing system in Scotland. All online gambling businesses must ask you to prove your age and identity before you gamble.

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.

Figure 4: Current machine to table ratio for different types of casinos

Substantial fines have been imposed, individuals have been sanctioned pursuant to their “personal management licences” and licences have been suspended. All gambling hosted by electronic means and available to persons in Great Britain must be licensed by the Gambling Commission. There is no restriction on the use of digital and virtual currencies as a payment method for gambling, though operators wishing to accept virtual currencies will need to demonstrate how any additional risks of them doing so are mitigated. Since 28 February 2025, remote operators have been required to undertake financial vulnerability checks once a customer’s net spend exceeds £150 in a rolling 30-day period.

Do you agree with the proposed (i) minimum gambling area; (ii) table gaming area; and (iii) non-gambling area requirements for 1968 Act casinos under the new regime? Only areas that comprise 12.5% of the minimum table gaming area can be taken into account when determining the total table gaming area for 1968 Act casinos that access the new machine entitlements. Amending the regulations so that Small 2005 Act casinos only need a minimum table gaming area of 250sqm, reduced from 500sqm. Maximum gambling area for 1968 Act casinos will be decided following responses to the consultation.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that for some individuals the option of attending physical bingo premises delivers substantial social benefits which would be lost if the sector is not supported. A healthier land-based gambling sector, able to compete on a more even basis with similar online gambling opportunities, is likely to support local employment opportunities, regeneration effects and contribute to business rates. We will use the responses to this consultation as well as wider engagement with the sector to gather data to estimate the likely change in machine configuration in bingo and arcade venues.

The Commission works alongside local licensing authorities, which are responsible for issuing premises licences for land-based gambling venues. Established under the Gambling Act 2005, the Commission oversees all commercial gambling in Great Britain — from high-street betting shops and land-based casinos to online slots, poker rooms, and sports betting exchanges. You can apply to us for a licence to provide casino games in a premises (non-remote) or online (remote). It requires remote gambling operators selling into the British market, whether based here or abroad, to hold a Commission licence to enable them to transact with British consumers. The legislative changes also introduced changes to gaming machine entitlements for converted casino premises. For casinos which exercise the extended entitlement and other larger converted casino premises, a new mandatory condition in paragraph 4 of Part 5 of Schedule 1 to the 2007 Regulations requires that the floor area of the gambling area is less than 1,500m².

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.

This question elicited the most detailed responses in this chapter from a wide variety of respondents. This proposal will help build a picture of the customer’s play and is already standard in betting shops. The Behavioural Insights Team highlighted some research they had undertaken on individuals’ experiences of gambling management tools.

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.