UK Gambling Commission

Last Updated: 

What is the UK Gambling Commission?

The UK Gambling Commission was created and empowered under the Gambling Act of 2005 to regulate the UK gambling industry, with a particular focus on online gaming. It is often held up as a prime example of gambling regulator best practice, and used as a benchmark for comparing regulatory bodies in other countries and states.

What Does the UK Gambling Commission Do?

  1. Ensure gambling in the UK is crime-free.
  2. Ensure gambling in the UK is fair and open.
  3. Ensure children and vulnerable people are protected from gambling in the UK.

What Types of Licenses Does the UK Gambling Commission Offer?

Rather than offering a single licence to operators covering all online gaming activities, the UK Gambling Commission offers remote operating licences for each type of activity that an online operator may want to run, including:

  • Betting
  • Bingo
  • Casino Games
  • Gaming Machines
  • Gaming Software
  • Lotteries

In addition to the above activity-specific licences, most significant online gaming operators will also require remote Personal Management Licences (PML) for their senior staff members. This means that anyone who is in charge of important business areas such as financial budgeting, overall strategy, regulatory compliance and IT provision and security must come under scrutiny and gain approval for a PML before being allowed to legally make any operational decisions.

History of the UK Gambling Commission

The UK Gambling Commission was set up to regulate the growing online gambling industry, replacing the previous Gaming Board for Great Britain. In 2013, the National Lottery Commission was also merged with the UK Gambling Commission. The following year, it continued to act in the British consumer’s best interests under the 2014 Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act.

As the name of this act suggests, it was designed to tighten up practices around gambling advertising targeted at UK citizens. The law now ensures that all gambling operators that provide facilities for remote gambling (or advertise to consumers in Britain) must obtain a remote operating licence from the UK Gambling Commission. This means that even operators which are based abroad must still obtain the proper licence if they wish to serve (or advertise to) customers in the UK. This covers all forms of advertising, including on television, via sponsorship or through physical installations.

Another significant change was brought about by the Point of Consumption Tax, which entered into UK legislation in December 2014. Whereas previously off-shore operators were charged tax at the 'point of supply' (i.e. based on the territory where their operations were located), they are now taxed at the 'point of consumption' (i.e. in the UK) at a flat rate of 15% on gross profits.

Can You Trust the UK Gambling Commission?

Yes, the UK Gambling Commission is considered one of the most diligent gaming authorities in the world, and has several key areas of focus, including:

  • Protection of Player Funds | Ensuring that licence holders keep customer funds segregated from business/operating funds.
  • Player Identification | Ensuring that licence holders put steps in place to verify the age of online players.
  • Player Protection | Ensuring that licence holders are aware of (and comply with) measures for protecting players with problematic gambling behaviour.
  • Fair Gambling | Ensuring that licence holders only use software (including games and proprietary OS) supplied by licensed software providers.
  • Honest Marketing | Ensuring that licence holders do not offer misleading promotions or advertisements.
  • Cash Handling | Ensuring that licence holders take action to prevent money laundering and only utilise safe and legal payment technology.
  • Customer Service | Ensuring that licence holders have systems in place to log customer complaints and resolve issues.

Online gambling operators must comply with the rules set down by the Gambling Commission (and maintain honest and transparent communications), or else risk having their licence revoked and potentially facing investigation or prosecution.

Top Online Casinos Licensed by the UK Gambling Commission

UK Licensed Online CasinoBonus Offered at Online CasinoAlternative Licenses Held
William Hill£/€/$10 No Deposit BonusGibraltar
Betfair100% up to £/€/$100Gibraltar
888casino£/€/$88 Free + 100% up to £/€/$100Gibraltar
Ladbrokes400% up to £/€/$400Malta
Coral Casino150% up to £/€/$300Gibraltar
Winner Casino£/€/$30 Free + 200% up to £/€/$300Antigua
Casino British100% up to £/€/$200Malta

The UK Gambling Commission currently licenses over 1000 companies for remote gaming, including operators such as 888, Betfair, William Hill and Ladbrokes. It also lists over 200 gaming development firms as having an active gambling software licence, including industry experts such as NextGen and OpenBet. Although it is broadly well-regarded as an institution, the UK Gambling Commission was chastised in 2014 for its alleged lack of action and advice it provided to the government in relation to Fixed Odd Betting Terminals (FOBT).

Some commentators had recommended stricter controls on the terminals, specifically either removing them from the high street or drastically reducing maximum stakes to bring them in line with other types of gambling machine. However, the Commission was criticised for recommending no immediate action, despite its vocal advocacy of taking "the precautionary approach" when it comes to risk.

Despite this incident, the Gambling Commission clearly prioritises player safety above all, and is currently reviewing a process whereby vulnerable players could exclude themselves from all casinos based in the UK (or holding a UK licence) at once, rather than having to self-exclude with each individual operator – this looks to be the next big legislative change on the horizon for the regulatory body.

Bell Icon
Affiliate Disclosure: At Gambling.com, we want to ensure that players are matched with the right casino and sportsbook offers for them. For this reason, some of the recommended site links are affiliate links. More
  1. Tailored weekly and daily rewards
    Swift payouts, deposits and withdrawals.
    Trusted by Trustpilot
    Promo Code
    Tooltip
    not required
    Min Deposit
    20
    Wagering Requirement
    Tooltip
    35x
    Payout Time
    Tooltip
    24 Hours
    Casino Games
    Tooltip
    1245
    Jackpot Slots
    Tooltip
    53
    Wiz Slots deliver a balanced combination of excitement and trustworthiness. Boasting fast payouts, appealing rewards, and endorsement from Trustpilot, it stands as a reliable option for players seeking a reputable gaming experience"
  2. 3
    PartyCasino
    Established 1997
    More Details
  3. 4
    Neptune Play Casino
    Established 2024
    More Details
  4. 6
    Casimba Casino
    Established 2017
    More Details
  5. 7
    Rizk Casino
    Established 2016
    More Details
  6. 8
    Voodoo Dreams Casino
    Established 2016
    More Details
  7. 10
    Dunder Casino
    Established 2016
    More Details
  8. 11
    Dream Vegas Casino
    Established 2018
    More Details
  9. 12
    SpinYoo Casino
    Established 2021
    More Details
  10. 13
    ComeOn! Casino
    Established 2010
    More Details
  11. 14
    William Hill Casino
    Established 2008
    More Details
  12. 15
    Fire Vegas Casino
    Established 2021
    More Details
  13. 16
    888 Casino
    Established 1997
    More Details
  14. 17
    Mr Vegas Casino
    Established 2019
    More Details
  15. 18
    Royal Panda Casino
    Established 2014
    More Details
  16. 21
    Red Casino
    Established 2023
    More Details
  17. 22
    Energy Casino
    Established 2013
    More Details
  18. 24
    Jackpot Village Casino
    Established 2019
    More Details
  19. 25
    BetVictor Casino
    Established 1946
    More Details
  20. 26
    LeoVegas Casino
    Established 2012
    More Details
  21. 27
    PlayOJO Casino
    Established 2016
    More Details
  22. 29
    TonyBet Casino
    Established 2020
    More Details
  23. 30
    Casumo Casino
    Established 2012
    More Details
  24. 32
    Duelz Casino
    Established 2018
    More Details
  25. 33
    BzeeBet Casino
    Established 2023
    More Details
  26. 36
    MagicRed Casino
    Established 2014
    More Details
  27. 37
    666 Casino
    Established 2017
    More Details
  28. 39