New protections for UK players
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has announced new protections for UK players, set to come into force on 31 October 2025. The new “consumer led tools” are aimed at “increasing consumer control over deposit limits and greater transparency of customer funds protection by operators”.
Setting financial limits
All operators will be required to prompt new players to set a deposit limit before their first deposit is made. Under the new rules, operators must also make this financial limit easy to review and adjust.
Additionally, operators will have to prompt players to review their account and financial information every six months. This measure is intended to “help consumers consider if they want to change existing, or set new, deposit limits”.
Many operators already offer deposit limits and the option to change it at any time, but this will become mandatory, so that players can expect the same level of control and consistency across different platforms.
Transparency of protection of customer funds
There are already strict rules about how operators hold customers’ funds. Operators must display the level of protection and lay out what happens in the event of insolvency. There are predefined levels of protection that must be declared.
From 31 October 2025, operators whose customers’ funds are ‘not protected’ will be required to remind them every six months.
It is hoped that these changes will help consumers to make more informed decisions. It may also prompt more operators to offer better levels of protection.
Changes tie-in with new levy
The new statutory levy, which came into effect in April, requires operators to pay a set percentage of their gross into a fund for player protection. At the end of the month, the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice will be updated to reflect this, removing the previous system.
The obsolete LCCP rule, which requires operators to make annual “financial contributions to a list of research, prevention and treatment organisations”, will be retired.
Implications and benefits
The new rules are generally good news for players, as well as overall levels of stability and trust throughout the industry. New financial tools will help players to keep an eye on their spending, and ensure they are equipped to make informed decisions about how and where their funds are held.
For operators, these might not be welcomed quite so enthusiastically. Even so, they have had plenty of warning about the statutory levy, and may have already adjusted to it. The additional financial protection and financial limit tools should be relatively easy and inexpensive to implement.
Summary
Regarding the new rules, Tim Miller, Gambling Commission Executive Director for research and policy, said:
“These changes illustrate our commitment to ensuring gambling is fair and open by improving consumer empowerment and choice.”
It’s vital that players are kept empowered and informed, so this is a step in the right direction for the UKGC.