The Role of the UK Gambling Commission

🛈 About the Gambling Commission

Regarding online gambling in Great Britain, all commercial activity is regulated by the Gambling Commission. Below we go into the facts and what they do:

• Set up under the Gambling Act 2005 to regulate commercial gambling in the UK with the act coming into force on the 1st of September 2007.
• They are an independent non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
• Headquarters in Birmingham: 250+ employees and 60+ compliance and enforcement managers.
• Their work is funded by fees paid by the operators they license.
• They regulate arcades, betting, bingo, casinos, gaming machine providers, gambling software providers, lottery operators and remote gambling (i.e. online casino sites).

🎯 3 Objectives of the Gambling Commission

Outlined in the Gambling Act 2005, 3 licensing objectives shape how the Gambling Commission operates. The Commission sets requirements for all their licensees which are outlined in the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP). All requirements must be met for a licensee to hold an operating license. The LCCP is broken down into 3 parts:

• Preventing Crime: They aim to stop gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime or disorder or being used to support crime. Examples include money laundering, identity fraud and suspicious gambling activity.
• Fair and Open Gambling: They ensure that products and services provided by licensees are fair and deliver what they promise. With licensees required to ensure customer issues are addressed promptly and fairly, customers must be able to make informed decisions regarding their gambling.  
• Protecting from Harm or Exploitation: The Gambling Commission ensures that people under 18 years old are unable to gamble on products and services provided by their licensees. It also ensures vulnerable persons are protected from gambling-related harm.

Player Perspective

Whilst I could go into how the Gambling Commission regulates the industry in much more detail, it’s important to understand how this impacts you, the player. Below, I dissect the jargon and look at the most important elements when it comes to playing at online casinos.

🔞 18+ Only & Customer Identity Verification

All players have to be 18 or over to gamble online legally. All online casinos are legally required to confirm the identity of their customers before allowing them to deposit or play.

Online casino licensees must obtain and verify information to establish a customer’s identity before being able to deposit, gamble, play or free demo games This includes the customer’s name, address and date of birth. This must be carried out before a customer requests a withdrawal.

Before a customer is allowed to deposit, casinos must inform the customer what types of identity documents or other information the customer has to provide. This can include requesting a copy of an identification document such as:

• Passport
• Driver’s License
• Household Utility Bill

Most gambling sites implement automated verification procedures which are carried out when a customer registers a new account. They will match your account details with existing information stored on databases such as credit referencing agencies and the electoral roll.

If the information or details provided are not sufficient, a customer must not be able to deposit funds until adequate information or documentation has been provided.

💳 No Credit Cards

Online casinos must not accept payment for gambling by credit card. This includes deposits by credit card through a money service business (i.e. funding your PayPal account with a credit card).

The ban on gambling businesses allowing customers in Great Britain to use credit cards to gamble came into effect on the 14^th of April 2020. For more details, check out the Gambling Commission’s official document.

🔒 Protection of Customer Funds

Casino sites must hold customer funds in a separate client bank account(s). Customer funds include:

• Money deposited by customers
• Winnings or prizes customers have chosen to leave on deposit (i.e. customer balance)
• Unpaid loyalty or bonuses

🔎 Display of Licensed Status

Online casinos must display that they are licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission, their account number and a link to the license on the Commission’s website on every screen from which customers can access gambling services and products.

This is normally displayed in a website’s footer. If you want to verify whether a casino has a valid operating license, visit the Gambling Commission’s Public Register.

🎁 Casino Bonuses & Offers

Most casino sites will offer incentives to gamble including deposit bonuses and free spins. Businesses licensed by the Gambling Commission can’t enforce unfair terms. Below is what you should expect when playing at a gambling site:

• An offer’s Terms and Conditions must be clear and given in good time.
• All information must be presented so you can properly decide if a promotion is right for you.
• You should be allowed to walk away from play at any time and keep what is left of your deposit and the winnings you’ve earned from play with your deposit.
• Casinos must make it crystal clear whether you are playing with your own money or with bonus funds which are subject to various restrictions.
• Restrictions on how to use your bonus funds must be clear: they include expiry dates, max bet size, wagering requirements, eligible casino games and max cashout limits.
• You are not required to take part in a casino’s publicity.
• An offer cannot change once you have claimed the offer.
• Casinos are not permitted to confiscate your money due to not logging in or playing on their site for a particular time period.

◀️ Reverse Withdrawals Banned

As of the 31^st of October 2021, the Gambling Commission has banned the reverse withdrawal functionality at online casinos. Once you request a withdrawal from a casino site, you will not be given the option to cancel the request.

The functionality allows players to re-gamble money they had previously decided to cash out. The feature was a risk to engaged and vulnerable gambling due to the temptation to continue gambling. In summary, once you request a withdrawal, the online casino will process it and the funds will be in your chosen payment method balance once cleared.

🛠️ Responsible Gambling Tools

Casinos with a Gambling Commission license must make information readily available to their customers on how to gamble responsibly as well as how to assess information about problem gambling. This includes offering tools such as:

• Reality Checks: They allow you to gain more control over your gambling activities. Reality checks are alerts that allow you to decide whether you wish to continue playing or not. They vary from 10 minutes up to 180 minutes on average.
• Deposit Limits: Casinos allow you the put limits in place to control how much you spend. You can set daily, weekly and monthly deposit limits.
• Take a Break: This feature allows you to exclude yourself from gambling activities for specified periods of 24 hours, 7 days, 1 month or 6 weeks.  
• Self-Exclusion: All licensed online casinos are legally obliged to join the GAMSTOP self-exclusion scheme. It allows you to stop gambling for a certain length of time which is usually between 6 months and 5 years.
• Access to Account Activity: Casino sites must allow you to access your historic account activity. You should be able to see when you’ve gambled, how much you’ve spent and what you’ve gambled on. Monitoring your activity will allow you to make well-informed decisions about gambling online.  
• Help & Support: Information regarding safer gambling must be present on a casino website and links to various organisations and schemes must also be present.

💎 VIP Status

The Gambling Commission introduced new rules in October 2020 to stamp out irresponsible VIP scheme practices. If you’ve been offered VIP status, an online casino must carry out the following procedures:

• Establish that spending is affordable and sustainable (i.e. whether a customer can afford it or not).
• Assess if there is any gambling-related harm or increased risk linked to vulnerability.
• Possess up-to-date identification documents, occupational information and carry out source of funds enquiries.
• Continue to monitor and verify the information provided by customers and conduct ongoing gambling-harm checks.

⚠️ Alternative Dispute Resolution Service

All Gambling Commission-licensed casinos are required to use one or more approved Alternative Dispute Resolution entities. An ADR offers ways to resolve disputes between customers and gambling operators without having to go to court. Offering mediation and adjudication, the service is free to customers.

You can use an ADR service and submit a complaint if you think you’ve been treated unfairly by an online gambling site. Examples of disputes include:

• Terms and Conditions of a bonus offer that a customer has claimed.
• The ability for a customer to manage their account.
• The ability to access their deposited funds or winnings.

Have a dispute? Check out the Gambling Commission’s list of approved ADR providers.

🎰 Slot Game Restrictions

When you play slot games at casino sites or on dedicated casino apps, there are certain restrictions which are designed to make play safer for players. The most popular type of casino game at online casinos, the Gambling Commission introduced a ban on 4 key features of online slot games:

• Autoplay features as it can lead to players losing track of their play.
• Spin speeds on online slot games faster than 2.5 seconds are prohibited.
• Features that speed up play or give the illusion of control over the outcome.
• Sounds or imagery which give the illusion of a win when the return is equal to, or below, the bet.

Furthermore, casino sites must clearly display the total losses/wins and time playing during any online slots session. Finally, stake limits for online slot games were introduced in September 2024. The limits depend on your age:

• Maximum £2 bet limit per spin for 18 to 24-year-olds for online slot games
• £5 bet limit per spin for adults aged 25 and over brings bets/stakes in line with land-based casinos

🚨 Regulatory Action by the Gambling Commission

Online casino sites that do not follow rules and regulations aimed at ensuring gambling is fair, safe and crime free can expect regulatory action. 

With several actions possible, the Gambling Commission an exercise aa range of powers including: 

• Issuing a warning
• Adding an extra licence condition
• Removing or amending a licence condition
• Suspending the operating licence
• Revoking a licence entirely
• Issuing a financial penalty

📢 Ongoing Changes

The Gambling Commission constantly monitors the landscape with regards to the gambling industry in Great Britain. 

As changes are introduced, we will update this article accordingly.