Gambling Commission (UKGC) update
Helen Rhodes, the Gambling Commission’s Director of Major Policy Projects and Evaluation, spoke recently at iGBLive in London, updating attendees on progress of the 2023 Gambling Act Review (GAR).
The tone of Rhodes' address was broadly optimistic, with the Commission appearing to be making good headway when it comes to implementing the recommended changes. Rhodes highlighted the work that has been done, stating that the UKGC has already implemented “changes that will help deliver safer, fairer and crime free gambling”.
A lot to get through…
Rhodes’ speech addressed a wide range of topics, reflecting the many different facets of the GAR. It’s worth drilling down into the main areas covered, which included:
- Personalised marketing control
- Deposit limits
- Promotional offers and wagering requirements
- Gaming machines and technical standards
- Risk assessments
- Transparency and communication
New mandatory limits
The UKGC is introducing mandatory financial limits. Beginning 31 October 2025, “gambling businesses must prompt their customers to set a financial limit before they make their first deposit”.
This is effectively an amendment to the existing deposit limit system, which all operators currently offer. In many respects, this makes a lot of sense. Encouraging players to keep a close eye on their bankroll is smart and responsible.
However, there may be a soft backlash from those who consider this measure imposing or frustrating. Also, the efficacy remains to be seen – it seems likely that some players might simply set a very high limit so as not to be hassled by pop-up warnings and reminders.
As with other regulatory changes, the UKGC must be careful not to annoy players to the degree that the black market seems more appealing than the legitimate one.
Wagering reduced to 10x
Good news for players: wagering requirements will be reduced to a maximum of 10x – a move that will likely be very warmly welcomed by many.
Rhodes said: “It is our view that these changes will better protect consumers from gambling harm and give consumers much better clarity on, and certainty of, offers before they decide to sign up.”
This should produce a simplification of the bonus-claiming process, and reduce the likelihood of players being misled.
But it can’t necessarily be expected to translate to more valuable bonuses or a narrowing of casino margins. Rather than absorb the cost, operators will likely adjust the total value of bonuses to compensate, such as by reducing the number of free spins awarded, or by applying lower max win limits.
Financial risk assessments pilot
Rhodes made several references to the recently completed financial risk assessments test pilot. Since the pilot, the UKGC has “moved to an analysis phase” and framed the results as a “significant step forward”.
There were significant improvements between Stages 1 and 2, and the results support the notion that only 0.3% of accounts would be unable to meet requirements. Stage 2 of the pilot found that 97% of assessments could be carried out in a frictionless manner – better than previously thought. Also, only 3% of accounts could not be matched.
It’s worth noting that these stats all assume the thresholds originally proposed, and that these may change in the future.
Rhodes was careful to stress, again, the “very targeted way” in which these assessments flag those “in significant or multiple arrears, defaults or bankruptcy”. Some will feel that the assessments are too targeted, and that they’re invasive.
Raised technical standards
New technical standards are being applied to land-based gaming machines. The UKGC is overhauling the 12 technical standards that guide operators. These rules apply to things such as:
- Autoplay functions
- Spin speed limits
- Multiplay functions
- Celebrations for low-value wins
In-game safer gambling measures are also being introduced, which include prominently displaying a player's net financial position and session time. The intention is to promote transparency and safer gambling, which can only be in the best interests of all parties.
Customer control over direct marketing
Players will now have more control over the marketing communications they receive under new UKGC regulations that came into effect in May. Players will determine their preferences in terms of the “product type and channel” they receive communications about.
Although this will clip the wings of operators’ marketing campaigns and introduce some new challenges for them, the overall effect is likely to be broadly positive. These changes seem to have been received with little pushback. As UKGC regulations go, this is one of the less controversial.
Mixed promotions ban
Other new legislation set to impact how operators advertise is the ban on mixed promotions. These promos require that “the consumer plays different products, such as betting and playing slots.” Mixed promotions have been associated with higher risk of harm, and a higher likelihood of players getting confused. In terms of reducing harm and improving transparency, this ban is a smart move.
Some operators may resist it, however, perhaps suggesting the UKGC is being overbearing . Nevertheless, the ban is now set to come into effect on 19 January 2026, coinciding with several other revised or new regulations discussed in Rhodes’ speech.
LCCP changes
Changes to the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) are directly related to new rules on promotional offers. To ensure operators understand and are able to adhere to the new promotion-related regulations, LCCP terminology will be improved and reworded.
For the most part, these alterations will relate to other changes being made, such as the limit of 10x on wagering requirements. It’s crucial that LCCP wording is sufficiently clear that everyone understands it.
That said, regulatory language will always be open to some degree of interpretation, which could lead to future disputes between operators and the Commission.
1,000 submissions
Rhodes commented several times on responses received regarding the forthcoming changes, particularly during the consultation period. Approximately 1,000 responses were received responding to consultations on gaming machine technical standards.
The Commission is now “working through what we received”, but it’s rarely clear exactly how consultation responses are heard, how much consideration they’re given, or whether they actually impact the UKGC’s legislation making.
Many voices heard – but are we being listened to?
Rhodes claims that a key part of the process has been ensuring that “everyone – from operators, third sector and the public – have a chance to make their voices heard”. It’s certainly true that open communication underpins good regulatory work and change processes.
However, as Rhodes stressed the importance of open communication and transparency, some may have caught a whiff of hypocrisy in the air. The UKGC’s hands are far from clean, having essentially buried public survey results because the responses didn’t support their proposals for affordability checks.
Long-running consultations have been held, and many different parties have tried to make their voices heard, but it’s not clear exactly what effect this has had, or to what extent the regulator has actually allowed these opinions to inform legislation.
The Commission’s recent actions suggested it is bullishly determined to bring in whichever rules it sees fit, with seemingly little regard for outside opinions or for the patterns observed abroad.
Broad UKGC objectives being achieved?
Rhodes restated the basic objectives of the GAR: “to arrive at a package of proposals that protects vulnerable people, ensures consumers can make informed decisions about their gambling and recognises the need to minimise the impact on consumers who are not experiencing difficulty”.
The question of whether the UKGC has achieved these broad objectives is complex, as the implementation of the GAR is an ongoing process with multiple layers. While Rhodes’ speech frames the progress in a positive light, the bigger picture is more nuanced.
Headway is certainly being made, and the Commission looks to have some momentum. Also, many measures put in place are clearly in the best interest of consumers, and Rhodes isn’t wrong to present the risk assessments pilot as a success.
Contentious
However, speed should not come at the cost of careful consideration, and the Commission appears not to have considered everything as carefully as it should. Stake limits and background checks have been highly contentious issues, and the UKGC seems to have paid little attention to objections.
Furthermore, Rhodes’ speech did little to address one major concern currently on the minds of many industry professionals: the rise of the black market – something that has arguably been driven by overregulation. Unusually, Rhodes also doesn’t mention the levy, which is one of the Commission’s more welcome regulatory changes.
So, yes, the UKGC’s objectives are being achieved, but at what cost is not yet clear.
So, where do we stand?
Referring to all GAR regulations, Rhodes vaguely states that “these changes will be evaluated” and directs potential queries to the UKGC website. However, the actual process of review doesn’t seem to be outlined anywhere. As with consultation responses, it’s not clear whether, or to what extent, we can expect things to change as a result of these evaluations.
The GAR is an ambitious project and a massive undertaking for the Gambling Commission. As you’d expect, it has both critics and champions. When attempting to satisfy players, operators and the wider British gambling industry, there will doubtless be winners and losers.
Rhodes paints a picture of a system informed by open communicative channels, using phrases such as “never think we are doing a tick box exercise” and “we value every submission”. These seem precision-engineered to pre-empt criticisms of tokenism and disregarding feedback.
The regulator must really act on the many opinions and pieces of feedback that it receives, rather than simply acknowledging their receipt while moving onto the next piece of legislation.