Remote gambling software licence
Gambling in the United Kingdom Wikipedia
An “economic crime levy” is payable by entities that are regulated for anti-money laundering purposes (currently only casinos in the UK) and which generate more than £10.2 million in UK revenue. It should be noted that in April 2025 HM Treasury opened a consultation (which closed on 21 July 2025) on a proposal to introduce a single remote gambling duty that would apply to all remote gambling activities targeting the UK. 15% of the commission charges charged by betting exchanges to users who are UK citizens Operating licences are generally indefinite, subject to paying annual fees.
Increased fees will enable licensing authorities to undertake more enforcement and engagement activities with licensed premises. Premises licence fees in Scotland are set under different regulations and are therefore a matter of consideration for the Scottish Government. We believe that on balance an increase to the maximum cap on premises licence fees by 15% is proportionate. A low number of premises visits may also be indicative of the lack of funding received by licensing authorities to fully undertake duties, such as inspections, alongside other administrative and enforcement functions. However, premises visits are only one aspect of a licensing authorities regulatory work. A number of these responses acknowledged the financial pressures placed on licensing authorities, which was reflected by the substantial number of industry responses that advocated for a 10% increase.
In order to slow the speed of direct cashless transactions and provide a break in play, the government proposes that there should be a minimum transaction time for players making direct cashless payment transactions on gaming machines. What should the maximum transaction value be for direct cashless payments on gaming machines? Should card account verification (such as chip and PIN or Face ID on mobile payment systems) be required if direct cashless payments are permitted on gaming machines? The authorisation required by the account holder in these systems mitigates against the risk of cashless payments facilitating crime through stolen cards being used on gaming machines. The risk would be that some forms of direct cashless payment (such as contactless) lack account verification and could allow stolen cards to be used on gaming machines.
When granting applications to vary a premises licence, the licensing authority is reminded to ensure that all the appropriate licences and notices are issued with any updated information in respect of changes made by the Regulations, for example in relation to mandatory and default conditions. This would require a premises licence variation application to the relevant licensing authority given the changes to the gambling and non-gambling areas. For non-remote betting facilities, this would be a non-remote general betting (standard) operating licence. This guidance provides information on the overall intent of the statutory instruments, what the changes mean for operators of casino premises that intend to make use of the regulatory changes and how this process should be administered by licensing authorities when applications are received. Other converted casino premises where the gambling area is less than 280m² will be limited to a maximum of 16 separate betting positions. It cannot be enforced against non-extended casinos, but when calculating the number of machines against the maximum of 80, all machines in every connected converted casino will be counted, whether or not they have decided to exercise the extended entitlement.
What do you think are the potential impacts of raising licence fees on the local area? (Mandatory response)10% / 20% / 30% / A different amount / I do not think fees should be increased / I don’t know Are there any functions that local authorities/ licensing boards do not exercise at present, but could if fees were increased (e.g. a more proactive enforcement policy)? (Optional response)Yes / No / I don’t know If you are a local authority/ licensing board, do you currently charge the maximum fees as set out in the Gambling Act 2005? However, given the relatively low level of annual fees per premises at present, we consider this to be unlikely.
In addition, the gaming machine to gaming table ratio for Small 2005 Act casino premises is amended by The Casinos (Gaming Machines and Mandatory Conditions) Regulations 2025 (opens in new tab). Paragraph 7.9 – The Gambling Act 2005 (Commencement No. 6 and Transitional Provisions) (Amendment) Order 2025 (opens in new tab) amends the gaming machine entitlements for converted casino premises. The following paragraphs of the GLA have been affected by legislative changes that came into effect on 22 July 2025 concerning the entitlements for casino premises licences. The licensing authority’s gambling statement may also identify interested parties from whom the licensing authority will accept representations in respect of an application related to a premises licence.
Premises licences are the third main category of licence (operating and personal licences being the other two) that will be issued under the Act. This includes betting shops, casinos, bingo premises and arcades. Separately, the Gambling Commission confirmed in our online games design response in 2021 and our remote gambling and software technical standards (RTS) that for remote slots it must be a minimum of 2.5 seconds from the time a game is started until the next game cycle can be commenced (RTS 14D). (3) Where this condition is attached to a remote casino operating licence which was issued before this regulation comes into force, the condition has effect from the date on which this regulation comes into force. Withdrawing from online casinos using PayPal and other e-wallets tend to be the fastest option, taking just a few hours. These reviews cover how to use each method and list the top online casinos for each option.
Remote gambling software licence
As outlined in the consultation, the fees payable for gaming machine notifications and gaming machine permits are not in scope of this review. We will keep the 15% increase in fees under review to ensure that its impact is proportionate both to the funding requirements of licensing authorities and the financial pressures placed on operators. We believe this is particularly important within the wider context of the modernising measures we are taking to support land-based gambling operators.
By contrast, licensing authorities and respondents from the third sector tended to highlight the risk of increased gambling-related harm as a result of increasing commercial flexibility for businesses. In general, responses received from gambling industry respondents typically argued for the most liberalised position across the range of measures outlined in the consultation. We received 87 responses to the land-based gambling consultation.
- If you wish to operate a casino premises which was originally granted permissions under the Gaming Act 1968, and which converted under the ‘grandfathering’ arrangements of the Gambling Act 2005, you should contact us to find out what you need to do.
- A 1968 Act casino operating licence holder wishes to take advantage of the new activities and entitlements afforded by the new Regulations.
- Some trade associations also highlighted the GamCare Code of Conduct for the display of socially responsible messaging, which they adhere to and requires that 20% of screen content displays safer gambling messages.
- Should there be a minimum transaction time for customers making a cashless transaction on a gaming machine?
The UK Gambling Commission requires operators to contribute financially to organisations focused on research, prevention, and treatment of gambling-related harm. The list of operators and personal licence holders who have had a regulatory sanction imposed on them is published on the site of the Gambling Commission. They also collaborate with other UK organisations and the police in cases where suspicious betting or gambling activities are detected. 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.
This change will be made in respect of licensing authorities in England and Wales. The second concern was the lack of transparency regarding the way in which fees are used by local authorities and a perception that local authority activities, such as premises visits, do not appear to be reflected by the level of fees currently paid. Industry responses were opposed to increasing the maximum chargeable fees beyond 10% for 2 main reasons.
Of those who didn’t answer ‘I don’t know’, 80% of respondents favoured operating and premises licence fees being the same for Small 2005 Act casinos and 1968 Act casinos that elect to increase their gaming machine entitlement. Very few responses were received by operators who hold more than one premises licence at the same location, but the majority of these indicated that they would not look to take up the maximum entitlement of 80 machines per licence were it to be an option. You must hold an operating licence if you are intending to run a gambling business for profit such as a betting shop, a gaming machine arcade or a casino. For converted casinos, however, there is an additional restriction on the number of betting machines relative to the size of the floor area of gambling area in that casino. Regulation 3 of these Regulations amends section 172(5)(b)(i) of the Gambling Act 2005 (c. 19) (“the Act”) to change how to calculate the number of gaming machines that may be made available for use in small casinos licensed under the Act.
For example, as previously highlighted, evidence provided by Bacta shows that the average stake placed on a Category B3 game is between £1.20 – £1.30, compared to 40p – 60p for a Category C machine. Under such circumstances, and given the relatively higher stakes and losses set out in the rationale for change, there is the potential for gambling-related harm to increase. Multi-staking category B cabinets provide customers with the choice of staking at different levels and therefore below the maximum stake permitted. However, over the longer term, some industry representatives have suggested that operators would likely further reduce their number of Category C and D cabinets in favour of multi-staking Category B cabinets. Unlike Option 1, it would be much more difficult for an operator to increase the number of B3 cabinets on their premises by increasing the number of Category C or D in-fills and tablets that they site. The equalising of these machine types may come at significant costs for some businesses.
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In addition to this, a large number of policy documents relating to casino and general gambling operations must be designed. Operating licences are issued by the UK Gambling Commission, the overall industry regulator and ‘watchdog’. While this is an act of the UK Parliament certain aspects of gambling laws are dealt with differently in Scotland because of a separate legal system and a slightly different approach in relation to local licensing. The operation of casinos in England, Scotland and Wales is governed by the Gambling Act 2005, which came into force on 1 September 2007. As we said earlier, playing at a licensed online casino comes with lots of advantages, including fair games, player protection, and the safety of your funds. Aside from issuing licenses to operators who want to offer gambling services to residents, it also helps to regulate their activities to ensure player protection and fair play across the country.
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Under this option, for every device with higher maximum staking there would be a lower maximum staking machine of equivalent size and nature available to customers. The same rule would apply to all other gaming machine device types. This is in addition to a 9 percent increase in the overall number of B3 machines, representing approximately 900 machines across the total AGC estate.
The additional annual cost per premises is an average across all premises types and in reality, will differ depending on the type of licence held. The additional annual cost per premises and the total additional annual funding for licensing authorities has been estimated using existing premises numbers. We believe it is appropriate to increase these fees so that local authorities can cover the costs of their gambling licensing and enforcement activity, and increase activity where needed. They are therefore essential for ensuring that licensing authorities can properly regulate gambling in their areas.
Please outline any other proposals relating to machine allowances in arcades and bingo halls that you think that we should consider. Please explain why this is your preferred option. (Mandatory response)Significant increase / Small increase / No impact / Small Decrease / Significant Decrease / I don’t know (Mandatory response) A large increase in GGY / A small increase in GGY / No impact on GGY / A small decrease in GGY / A large decrease in GGY / I don’t know What impact would options 1, 2 and 3 have on Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) for businesses? (Mandatory response) A significant increase in ability to meet demand / A slight increase in ability to meet demand / No impact / A slight decrease in ability to meet demand / A significant decrease in ability to meet demand / I don’t know
This section of the consultation received 46 responses, primarily from licensing authorities and gambling operators. The government will allow direct debit card payments on gaming machines through a made negative statutory instrument, which will also include some of the player protection measures outlined in this chapter, such as the account verification requirement for each transaction. We propose that the default limits for B1 machines are aligned to those machines in arcades, bingo halls and betting premises. The government proposes that mandatory limits must be included on gaming machines accepting cashless forms of payments. The government proposes that gaming machines accepting direct debit payments must allow customers to set time and monetary thresholds. The government proposes that the current deposit and committed payment limits should apply to direct cashless payments on gaming machines.
Non-UK sites have looser regulations and face less scrutiny if they operate maliciously. Non-UK gambling sites may be safe, but there is no real way of knowing beforehand. There, you will find licensing information and links to the UKGC website, where you can verify this information. You can get bonuses on UK licensed casino sites with varying promotions. A non-licensed casino can’t legally accept UK players, non gamstop casino and can not advertise their games to British players. All UK casino sites that operate legally in the UK are licensed.
Applicants for an operating licence are asked about their policies for ensuring that the licensing objectives will be adhered to. For operating licences this will include the resources likely to be available to carry out the licensed activities and the legitimacy of the source of the capital and revenue finance of the operation. Accordingly, the Commission will not normally grant operating licences involving such products. All UK licensed online casinos and sportsbooks are mandated to perform anti-money laundering checks, and mental and financial welfare checks on their customers. In general, it is illegal for the holder of a licence to sell alcohol to facilitate betting on the premises.
As such, the consultation sought to understand if the regulatory framework could be strengthened to ensure that there is a consistent minimum offer of Category C and D gaming machines on cabinet devices in venues across the arcade and bingo sector. However, in recent years there has been a proliferation of space-saving in-fill and tablet gaming machines in arcade and bingo venues. How, if at all, would the approaches taken in Options 1, 2 and 3 impact the ability of business to meet customer demand for gaming machines?
