Gambling Law in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, all forms of gambling are legal and are overseen by the regulatory body United Kingdom Gambling Commission that issues licences to operators. Today, we’ll show you more about how gambling law in the United Kingdom works – and what the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) actually does
About the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC)
The market is liberal in a sense where anyone who can meet the licence criteria and who pays the fee can get a licence from the UKGC, and the number of licences is not limited, either. However, UKGC is a very tough regulator that is policing its rules and enforcing them onto operators, under risk of fine or even loss of a licence.
Gambling operators aren’t the only entity that is required to have a licence, as game developers also have to have one, in this strictly controlled system. The UKGC licence allows an operator to accept UK customers, but not customers from other countries. To mitigate this issue, UKGC-licensed operators often choose a Malta licence for every other country.
UKGC is the only regulator that puts the onus on gambling operators to detect problem gamblers and not accept their deposits and wagers, under risk of a fine. Marketing to known problem gamblers is also prohibited, and large deposits without appropriate source of funds checks are also a common issue among licence holders who are fined.
Licensing Categories and What They Cover
The UK’s Gambling Commission offers a wide variety of licenses that are designed to meet the needs of different types of gambling businesses – and activities. Operators (including the best real money online casinos) may need one or more different types, depending on the services they offer:
- Remote Casino Licence – Required for offering online slots, table games, and live dealer games to UK players – regardless of where a casino is based.
- Betting Licence – Needed by bookmakers offering fixed-odds betting online or in physical shops. (Also covers those offering bookmakers who appear at race-courses.)
- Bingo Licence – For running online or land-based bingo games. So, if an online casino offers real-money bingo games, they will also need a bingo license.
- Software Supplier Licence – Required for companies developing or supplying gaming software used by UK-facing operators. However, smaller studios can “piggyback” off the license of their aggregation partner, where applicable.
- Personal Management Licences (PMLs) – Key individuals within a company (such as compliance officers or directors) often need PMLs to ensure accountability – although this is usually found with the larger online gambling sites who based their business within the UK.
It’s worth noting, too, that each UKGC license comes with very strict rules surrounding transparency, fairness, player protection, and anti-money laundering (known as AML) compliance.
Online gambling is an entertainment with the purpose of having a good time, but is not intended for financial gain. You should not pursue winning. Gambling addiction is a behaviour that can have very serious consequences for your life. If you feel you can not stop gambling, seek help immediately - all the contacts you need can be found on our Gambling Addiction page.
Gambling Foundation offers free and confidential support to anyone suffering from problem gambling in Finland.
