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Licence · Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales)

Gambling Commission (Great Britain) operating licence

The Gambling Commission regulates commercial gambling in England, Scotland and Wales and was set up under the Gambling Act 2005. Any business offering online gambling to people in Great Britain needs one of its operating licences, whether or not it is based in Britain. Licensed operators must offer GAMSTOP self-exclusion, keep customer money in separate accounts, use an approved dispute resolution service and follow stake and bonus limits that were tightened in 2025 and 2026. You can check any business on the Commission's public register.

By , EditorUpdated 3 October 2026Checked against the regulator's sourcesHow we check

Licence types

  • Remote operating licences (e.g. remote casino, remote betting, remote bingo)
  • Non-remote operating licences
  • Gambling software and gaming machine technical licences (business-to-business)
  • Personal licences for key individuals
  • Premises licences (issued by local licensing authorities, not the Commission)

What players get

  • Licensees that hold customer funds must keep them in a separate client bank account or accounts (LCCP condition 4.1.1).
  • Remote operators must take part in GAMSTOP, the national online self-exclusion scheme.
  • Complaints that the operator cannot resolve can go to an Alternative Dispute Resolution provider approved by the Commission; licensees may only use ADR providers that meet the Commission's additional standards.
  • Online slots: maximum stake of £5 per spin for adults aged 25+ and £2 for 18-24 year olds.
  • Bonus wagering requirements are capped at 10 times the bonus, and promotions mixing different gambling products are banned (from 19 January 2026).

How to check a licence

Search the Gambling Commission's public register of gambling businesses at https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/public-register/businesses (account number, name or domain). The register also lists regulatory actions (https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/public-register/regulatory-actions). A logo on a website is not proof; the register entry is.

Recent changes

  • 2025-04-06: Statutory gambling levy commenced (Gambling Levy Regulations 2025), replacing voluntary industry contributions to research, prevention and treatment.
  • 2025-04-09: £5 maximum stake per game cycle on online slots for all adults.
  • 2025-05-21: £2 maximum stake on online slots for adults aged 18 to 24.
  • 2026-01-19: Bonus wagering requirements capped at 10x and mixed-product promotions banned (originally due 19 December 2025).

Context

The Commission publishes its enforcement outcomes (penalty packages, licence suspensions and revocations) on the public register under regulatory actions.

Not yet verified
  • Exact wording of the GAMSTOP licence condition (SR code 3.5.6) was taken from a Commission search summary, not read in full.
We could not confirm these from a primary source, so we have not stated them as fact.

Sources

  1. legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2005/19/section/33
  2. legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2005/19/section/36
  3. legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2005/19/section/330
  4. gamblingcommission.gov.uk/about-us/who-we-are
  5. gamblingcommission.gov.uk/public-register
  6. gamblingcommission.gov.uk/licensees-and-businesses/lccp/condition/4-1-1-segregation-of-fun
  7. gamblingcommission.gov.uk/licensees-and-businesses/guide/approved-alternative-dispute-reso
  8. gamblingcommission.gov.uk/licensees-and-businesses/guide/online-slots-stake-limit-guidance
  9. gamblingcommission.gov.uk/news/article/gambling-promotions-to-be-safer-and-simpler
  10. gamblingcommission.gov.uk/guidance/statutory-gambling-levy/statutory-levy-introduction
  11. legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2025/9780348267211