Licensed gambling premises Dataset data gov.uk
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. Non-remote operating licences authorise land-based gambling activities and must be accompanied by a premises licence issued by the relevant local authority. We use the data provided to maintain a register of premises licences, which we use to inform our compliance and enforcement work, and to monitor the licensing of premises nationally.
Online.casino, or O.C, is an international guide to gambling, providing the latest news, game guides and honest online casino reviews conducted by real experts. 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. One of the main benefits of a national gambling licensing system is that it can help casino customers regulate their gambling within non gamestop casinos the system.
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. These are aimed at making sure all gambling is safe and fair, with the UK Gambling Commission overseeing all gambling activities within the UK.
Staff learn to identify problem gambling behaviors, conduct KYC checks, and verify ages. The UKGC’s License Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) mandate training on responsible gambling, AML, and customer interactions. Running a casino involves managing staff under strict UK casino employer laws. Casino advertising is tightly regulated to protect consumers, with casino advertising rules enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). Robust AML casino laws safeguard the industry’s integrity. Staff must be trained to spot these signs, and operators face fines or license loss for failing to report.
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. Subsequent annual fees are due on each anniversary of the licence issue date. The first annual fee is due 30 days after the licence is issued and is reduced by 25%. In 2024–25, 3,491 personal licence applications were submitted, with 95% processed within eight weeks. Personal licence applications require identity documentation, address history, employment history, a police report, a credit report, and (in some circumstances) a statement of assets and liabilities.
- For example, a casino could have a gambling area of 500sqm, a table gaming area of 250sqm and a non-gambling area of 230sqm.
- The operation of casinos in England, Scotland and Wales is governed by the Gambling Act 2005, which came into force on 1 September 2007.
- Our extensive database allows us to make fact-based decisions and to offer you the best options.
- It was also raised that these machines can be converted to adapt a card reader for contactless payment, but adding a chip and pin device for every transaction in most cases would either not be technically feasible or cost effective.
- If those changes are made in the future, then operators would be able to access these provisions after they come into effect.
- 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.
Am I protected by the UKGC when I place sports bets at an online casino?
Remote licences are, in fact, a legal requirement for any business, wherever located, to offer facilities for gambling to British residents. Points to note are that land-based casino licences are not freely available and the rollout of major casino resorts envisaged when the legislation was passed has generally not occurred. The Gambling Act 2005 provides for a range of licences to be granted to both non-remote (i.e., land-based) as well as remote businesses.
It was also raised that these machines can be converted to adapt a card reader for contactless payment, but adding a chip and pin device for every transaction in most cases would either not be technically feasible or cost effective. Respondents from the pub sector also raised issues with verification for each transaction on Category D crane grab machines. Overall, they would either prefer the current contactless payment restrictions to apply for debit card payments on machines or for chip and pin to only be required at the beginning of any session. While this option does not provide as great an increase in commercial flexibility as Option 3, Option 2(b) and, potentially for some operators, Option 1, the evidence received suggests that the vast majority of operators would benefit under this option. While not as liberalising as Option 3, responses from some operators indicated that increases in Category B cabinets would not be vastly different to projections provided for Option 3.
However, we recognise that a minority of customers do experience gambling-related harm and that it is necessary to have safeguards in place to protect customers. In April 2023, DCMS published its white paper on gambling setting out the government’s plans for bringing the regulation of the gambling sector into the digital age. Increasing the maximum cap that licensing authorities can charge – made negative statutory instrument.
Evidence was received in response to the land-based gambling consultation and through an additional supplementary consultation which focused on this reform specifically. Further details of proposed new operating licence fees will follow in due course. Operators will also need to be able to demonstrate that their new gambling and non-gambling areas abide by the updated rules in the Mandatory and Default Conditions, which will include the sliding scale and other restrictions on the sizes of different areas of the casino. As set out in section 151 of the 2005 Act and in the Gambling Act 2005 (Premises Licences and Provisional Statements) Regulations 2007, the operator will also need to submit an up-to-date plan showing their table gaming area, other gambling areas and non-gambling areas.
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.
Data on session duration shows that, in general, players spend a similar amount of time on Category B machines as Category C and D machines. The data used in this section reflects activity from April to September 2019 and relates to a single session on a particular machine. We would like to understand whether these types of protections are already available on these machines, or whether it would require investment in new machines or software. In addition, while customers could stake lower than the maximum on a multi-stake Category B machine, evidence suggests that on average players tend to stake more on Category B machines than Category C and D machines. These machines can also offer customers Category C or D content on the same device. For example, a customer could stake 50p on these machines which is also below the maximum stake permitted on Category C machines.
When asked about the likely impact of the proposed changes, if a new regime were to take effect with the proposed new maximum of 80 gaming machines, the majority of operators (88%) stated they would look to move onto this regime. We will allow direct debit card payments to be made on gaming machines, subject to the player protection measures outlined within this government response. For example, safer gambling functionality is now available and widely used on many gaming machines. The remote casino operating licence allows you to offer casino games to customers via a website, mobile phone, TV or other online service.
Follow these steps to confirm an operator holds a valid UKGC licence If you encounter an unlicensed gambling site targeting UK consumers, you may report it directly to the Gambling Commission. Always verify an operator’s licence before depositing funds. Unlicensed operators are illegal in Great Britain and offer no consumer protection. Note that Northern Ireland has separate gambling legislation and is not within the Commission’s jurisdiction.
When did the stake limit come into effect?
This indicates that an applicant poses a substantial risk to the licensing objectives; or there are significant concerns about an applicant’s suitability; or there is a risk of significant non-compliance with the requirements of the Act and the Commission’s LCCP. There is a positive obligation on applicants to show that they are able to satisfy the licensing objectives. In some circumstances the Commission may attach specific conditions to the licence, which may, for example, have the effect of restricting the activities that may be carried out in reliance on the licence. On considering an application for a licence the Commission is required to grant it, refuse it or grant it in respect of one or more of the specified activities and refuse it in respect of the others. However, the responsibility for taking the lead in developing and updating measures designed to protect the licensing objectives lies principally with an operator.
Under the Act, licensing authorities in England and Wales have the role of issuing premises licences for casinos and monitoring those licences. Fees for non-remote Casino 2005 Act operating licences have been based on annual gross gambling yield (GGY) rather than the type of premises licence. The five types of licences included within this are casino premises licences, bingo premises licences, adult gaming centre premises licences, family entertainment centre premises licences, and betting premises licences. For example, a licence for an FEC allows the operator to site an unlimited number of Category C and D gaming machines in premises which are open to all ages. So while debit cards can be used at casino tables, they still cannot be directly used as a form of payment on gaming machines in casinos. 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.
Remote casino game host operating licence Remote betting intermediary operating licence Non-remote betting intermediary licence
This includes online gambling and high street casinos, as well as game developers and casino software makers. It is important to differentiate between unlicensed offshore casinos and international casino sites which have multiple licences. Notifications relating to premises licence must be sent, by email, to A premises licences is a licence, issued by a local licencing authority, that authorises gambling to take place in that premises.
All UKGC operators must allow you to set daily, weekly and monthly deposit limits. This free service is mandatory for all remote licensees. Our database mirrors the official UKGC public register. Look for a statement such as “Licensed by the Gambling Commission” with an accompanying licence number.