Gambling White Paper Timeline

Light touch vulnerability checks will use publicly available data (like history of unpaid debts and  bankruptcy records) to identify risks of harm.

Frictionless financial risk assessments will be more detailed risk assessments, which will run as a pilot program first which would allow operators and credit agencies to test how they would share data as it relates to identifying gambling harm. The pilot of this system will only involve the largest operators

The pilot of the frictionless financial risk assessments is expected to run from 30 August 2024 to 31 March 2025 (although this could extend to 30 April 2025).

i. £5 maximum stake limit per spin for adults aged 25 and above.

ii. £2 maximum stake limit per spin for young adults aged 18 to 24.

On 21 May 2025, the £2 stake limit will take effect, which will apply to those aged between 18 – 24.

i. a minimum 5 second game speed for all non-slot games;

ii. a requirement for operators to display net spend and net time information for casino games;

iii. a ban on autoplay for all online gambling products;

iv. a ban on operators offering features that facilitates playing multiple simultaneous games (as it relates to casino products);

v. a ban on audio or visual effects associated with a win of returns less than or equal to the amount staked (which now extends to all casinos and not just slots);

vi. a ban on features that reduce the time for a result to be known (e.g., turbo and quick spin) to all online gambling products; and

vii. new information security controls found in ISO27001:2022.

Updated requirements for security audits took effect on 31 October 2024 – meaning all annual security audits conducted after 01 November 2024 need to be updated to the ISO27001:2022 standard.

Licensees to provide customers with options to ‘opt-in’ to direct marketing on a per product and per channel basis.

For further analysis on this LCCP Social Responsibility code, please see our insight article here and here.

By way of example, the changes include requirements that: (i) customers must be prompted to set a financial limit prior to their first deposit; (ii) financial limits must be offered using free-text (rather than pre-determined amounts); and (iii) customer requests to decrease a financial limit must be actioned immediately.

The outcome of the consultation was published on 27 November 2024 – see here.

Operators will be required to make their first levy payment to the Gambling Commission by 1 October 2025.

The Government will make permitting, inviting or causing under 18s to play ‘cash-out’ Category D slot style machines a criminal offence through a draft affirmative statutory instrument.

The penalty for the offence of inviting, causing or permitting a child or young person to gamble as set out in s62(1) of the Gambling Act 2005 will remain the same.

i. increase the maximum number of Category B gaming machines to 80, provided they meet the size requirements of a Small 2005 Act casino;

ii. permit smaller 1968 Act casinos more than 20 machines (on a pro-rate commensurate to their size);

iii. permit betting in all casinos;

iv. reduce the minimum table gaming area requirement (from 500sqm to 250sqm) for Small 2005 Act casinos; and

introduce a 5:1 machine to table ratio for both 1968 Act casinos and Small 2005 Act casinos.

The Government will make changes through secondary legislation which would require a draft affirmative and a draft negative, statutory instrument.

i. remove the prohibition on the use of debit cards on gaming machines, subject to the introduction of appropriate player protection measures in light of the Gambling Commission’s review of the Gaming Machine Technical Standards;

ii. permit direct cashless payments made on gaming machines to a maximum transaction limit of £100;

iii. introduce the current deposit and payment limits to direct cashless payments on gaming machines (i.e., The deposit limits are currently set at £20 for Category B and C machines, and £2 for Category D machines. The committed payment limits are £10 for Category B1, B2, B3 and B3A machines, and £5 for Category B4 and C machines);

iv. require gaming machines that accept direct debit payments to implement minimum transaction time limits and monetary thresholds; and

require safer gambling communications on gaming machines that accept cashless payment.

The Government will make changes through secondary legislation which would require a draft negative statutory instrument as it relates to removing the prohibition of the use of debit cards on gaming machines.

In January 2025, the Gambling Commission opened a consultation on Gaming Machine Technical Standards. While that consultation does not address debit card payments on gaming machines, the consultation document does envisage the need to consult on the same were the prohibition on the use of debit cards on gaming machines to be  removed in order to “strike an appropriate balance between regulation applicable to modern payment methods, consumer benefits and protection of the licensing objectives”.

The Government will make changes through secondary legislation which would require a draft affirmative statutory instrument.

The Government will make changes through secondary legislation which would require a negative statutory instrument.

However, as at October 2024 – see here – it is understood that there have been no developments in this regard.

Additional consultations not referenced in the White Paper

• CEO/ MDs must hold PML: The Chief Executive Officer, Managing Director, or equivalent role will need to hold a PML.

• Chair of the Board: The person chairing the board will also need a PML, but only if appointed for a fixed term, not on a temporary or meeting-by-meeting basis.

• AML/CTF roles: The member of the board assigned responsibility for compliance with the Money Laundering Regulations will need to hold a PML, as will a licensee’s nominated officer.

On 1 May 2024, the Gambling Commission published its response, here, as it relates to PML.

On 1 May 2024, the Gambling Commission published its response, here, that it will not be implementing the proposed changes to regulatory panels.

On 5 February 2025, the Gambling  Commission published its response, here, on improving transparency on the protection of customer funds.

On 5 February 2025, the Gambling  Commission published its response, here, on improving transparency on removing obsolete Commission requirements due to the statutory levy.

On 27 March 2024, the Commission published its response, here, to the proposal to introduce quarterly regulatory returns.