Gambling Commission Sets July 2026 Deadline to Pull Non-Compliant Machines
A new Gambling Commission licence condition requires non-remote operators to withdraw non-compliant gaming machines upon written notice, effective 29 July 2026.
UK Gambling & Casino Industry News
UK Sets August 2027 Deadline to Ban Unlicensed Gambling Ads Across All Sectors
DCMS confirms August 2027 target to ban unlicensed gambling sponsorship across sport, music and culture, with 40% of Premier League clubs affected.
Rank Group Raises Profit Outlook to £76m as Revenue Climbs 6%
Rank Group lifts full-year operating profit guidance to at least £76m, beating forecasts, as group NGR rises 6% to £834m despite a £5m UKGC settlement.
UKGC Fines Evolution £4.75m Over Unlicensed Operator Access
Evolution reaches a £4.75m UKGC settlement after game content reached UK consumers via two unlicensed operators across six websites over 18 months.
ZEAL’s £38.6m SevenCanyon Deal Opens Door to UK’s £1.3bn Prize Draw Sector
ZEAL Network pays up to £38.6m for SevenCanyon, gaining instant entry to the UK's £1.3bn digital prize draw market via a Deutsche Bank term loan.
£5,000 Threshold Set as Gambling Commission Launches FRA Rollout
The Gambling Commission sets a £5,000 net deposit trigger for Financial Risk Assessments, with pilot data showing 97% of checks need no document uploads.
DCMS Overrides Industry Opposition With 25% Gambling Licence Fee Rise
DCMS confirms a 25% gambling licence fee increase from October 2026, overriding near-universal operator opposition with a tiered, GGY-based fee structure.
Sunak’s Former PPS Admits Using Insider Knowledge to Bet on Election Date
Craig Williams, Rishi Sunak's parliamentary aide, pleaded guilty to using confidential insider knowledge to place bets on the 2024 UK general election date.
UK Gambling & Casino Industry News
Court Orders and £26m Fund: UK’s New Push Against Illegal Gambling Sites
The UK Gambling Commission gains statutory power to block illegal gambling sites via court-ordered ISP suspension orders, backed by £26m in new funding.
Regulation
API Audit Trails Now Carry AML-Level Risk Under UKGC 2026 Rules
New UKGC and MGA rules give remote casino operators six months to pass independent API security audits or face licence-level consequences in 2026.
Regulation
72 Cases of Unlicensed Gambling Promotion Found Across 7 Platforms in May
Entain research uncovers 72 instances of illegal gambling promotion across seven social platforms, with AI personas and coordinated tipsters targeting UK consumers.
UK Gambling & Casino Industry News
UKGC’s Nine-Fold Funding Surge Targets Illegal Gambling on All Fronts
A £26m enforcement fund gives the UKGC a new taskforce, ISP domain blocking powers, and payment disruption tools to combat illegal gambling across the UK.
UK Gambling & Casino Industry News
UKGC Targets Illegal Gambling in Latest Manchester Raid
UKGC Targets Illegal Gambling in Manchester Raid
Gambling Industry News
Former PM Gordon Brown “Confident Two-Child Rule Will Be Addressed” In Budget
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown is confident the two-child benefit cap will be addressed in the autumn budget. Earlier this year Brown called on the Labour government to hike gambling taxes to prevent a social crisis. Brown wants the additional funds generated to cover the cost of scrapping the two-child rule, which restricts child tax […]
Gambling Industry News
MPs Say Betting Firms ‘Scaremongering’ Over Gambling Tax Rise
MPs have urged Rachel Reeves to move forward with gambling tax hikes despite bookmaker ‘scaremongering.’ In a report by the Treasury Select Committee, MPs accused betting firms of exaggerating the damage tax rises could cause to the industry. They encouraged the Chancellor “not to cave into industry scaremongering” and argued taxes should accurately reflect the […]
FAQ
Which forms of gambling are legal in the UK?
In the United Kingdom casinos, bookmakers, card-rooms and bingo-halls are licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) and permitted to offer real money gambling games including bingo, casino games like slots, roulette, blackjack, keno and keno as well as poker and sports-betting.
Is Online gambling legal in the UK?
Yes - gamblers can choose from a multitude of regulated and safe online gambling sites including poker rooms, casinos, bingo sites, dedicated eSports betting sites and bookmakers.
How many people gamble in the UK?
The latest UK Gambling statistics suggest that approximately 15 million people gamble on products licensed under the Gambling Act 2005 in Great Britain - approximately the same number of people that visit a museum at least once a year.
Since Covid-19 restrictions were lifted in 2021, the overall percentage of the adult population who gamble remains lower than it was pre Covid-19 (28 %). Online gambling participation rate in September 2022 had not yet reached the level of in person participation before the pandemic, which was 24.4 percent in 2019.
Do gamblers need to pay taxes on winnings in the United Kingdom?
No. When gamblers play and win at licensed UK casinos and bookmakers, all the gambling tax has already been paid by the operator - and all winnings are 100% tax-free for the consumer.