Anti-money laundering responsibilities for casino businesses
These regulations could cover matters such as whether appropriate numbers of staff are trained to operate the tables, and the extent to which such staff (and therefore tables) are available for use. In doing so, they may impose a condition on a licence, or exclude default conditions (in which case they may impose alternative conditions relating to the same matter). 444.The Secretary of State and Scottish Ministers have further powers to impose default conditions by regulations, for England and Wales, and Scotland respectively. 441.Subsections 7 and 8 provide the Secretary of State with the power to order a particular licensing authority, or class of licensing authority to consider whether to issue a resolution under this section. Such a resolution must be published as part of the authority’s licensing policy statement made under Part 18, and lasts for 3 years from the date it takes effect. The licensing authority may take into account any principle or matter in making its decision, and may pass a resolution giving effect to their decision at any time.
- If you are an operator with more than one premises licence at the same location, do you intend to take up these new entitlements for each licence?
- In this Part, where premises are required to contain a non-gambling area—
- If you manufacture gambling software, but also provide facilities for gambling only in circumstances in which you host those facilities through other operators’ platforms, then you may be eligible to hold a host operating licence.
- The platform hosts over 1,000 slots from top suppliers including Pragmatic Play and Evolution, alongside a strong live casino lobby with dedicated blackjack and roulette tables.
We look to deal with all aspects of gambling licensing both land-based and remote, acting for a number of the major international operators. To successfully operate in the betting and gaming industry you need to make sure that you have the correct licences in place. You’ll see casinos advertising various licences, but for UK players only one guarantees full protection.
Application Fees
Itregulates various forms of gambling, including online gambling, sports betting, casino gaming, lotteries, and others. Covers internet casinos, betting websites, online bingo and virtual gaming platforms. Search and verify casinos, betting sites, bingo platforms and gaming operators authorised to serve British players. The maximum number of gaming machines that may be made available for use on the premises remains unchanged at 80. For every gaming table used in the casino, the effect of the amendment is to increase from two to five the number of gaming machines that may also be made available for use. The second stage of the process only applies where the number of applications which the licensing authority would provisionally grant under the stage one process exceeds the number of available casino premises licences.
The RTS set out the technical requirements for remote gambling systems and gambling software. It sets out the mandatory licence conditions and the social responsibility codes of practice (SRCPs) with which operators must comply. This change, which came into force in November 2014, ended the previous “white-listing” regime under which operators licensed in certain approved offshore jurisdictions could serve UK consumers without a UK licence. With 2,662 active operator records tracked in the Gambling License Register, the UK represents the largest single jurisdiction in this database by licence count. Information about the type of licences and permits we issue.
There is extensive gambling regulation in Great Britain, mostly imposed upon licensees by the various conditions and codes of practice attached to their gambling licences, which are colloquially referred to as the “Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice” or “LCCP”. This instrument brought the British system into line with various of the European so-called “regulated markets”, where the requirement to obtain a licence for that market and account for gambling duty extends to remote providers of gambling outside the jurisdiction. In April 2023, significant changes to gambling regulations were proposed by the government, particularly targeting online slots. The 2014 Act changed the licensing requirements so that any company wishing to advertise gambling and take bets from consumers in England, Wales, or Scotland must hold a licence issued by the Gambling Commission.
An existing Small 2005 Act casino wishes to utilise the new table to gaming machines ratio alongside a reduction in its minimum required table gaming area. The Regulations enable the licensee to show (as required) the location and extent of any part of the premises which will be a table gaming area (previous regulations did not require the plan for a converted casino premises licence to include a table gaming area). An existing converted casino premises licence holder wishes to utilise the new extended gaming machine entitlements. If a current gambling area in a converted casino is simply to be reassigned for the provision of betting facilities (which is authorised by the new Regulations as of 22 July), without any changes to the gambling and non-gambling areas as shown on the premises plan, then it would not require a premises licence variation. An existing licensed 1968 Act casino operator already holds an operating licence for remote betting and wishes to make use of the new Regulations to provide SSBT facilities in its casino. An existing licensed 1968 Act casino operator already holds an operating licence for non-remote betting and wishes to make use of the new Regulations to provide non-remote sports betting facilities in its casino (without providing any Self- Service Betting Terminal (SSBT) facilities).
The higher end takes into consideration that some local authorities may need additional funding to carry out the full extent of administration of their gambling duties and gambling enforcement, such as the development of policy statements. We do not currently have sufficient evidence to inform an appropriate percentage increase to the current cap on licensing fees. Any fee increase must be linked to the cost to that particular local authority of carrying out its gambling functions. We recognise that the maximum for licensing authority fees has not been updated since 2007, during which time inflation has inevitably reduced its value.
Operators who run betting shops, where staff alerts are already available, agreed that machines accepting cashless payments should also be required to have this feature. While we understand the different environments and the higher stakes and prizes available to customers on B1 machines, data received from industry shows that these limits should not impact the majority of players. In line with their responses to other questions, the pub sector did not want these limits to apply to Category D crane grab machines. Some respondents also stated that there should be a difference depending on the category of machine, with higher limits for B1 machines.
Bonuses & Payments
This amendment will mean that 1968 Act casinos that meet the same size requirements of Small 2005 Act casinos (subject to our final position on maximum size of gambling space) will be entitled to 80 gaming machines. In order for a 1968 Act casino to be entitled to 80 gaming machines, we propose that it must have a gambling area of at least 500sqm, the same minimum requirement for Small 2005 Act casinos. While we anticipate that many casinos of a suitable size will take up the option to increase their gaming machine allowances under these proposals, we are aware that some casinos will not want to site more than 20 gaming machines. Under the increased gaming machine allowances that we propose, if a venue held multiple premises licences, it could theoretically gain access to 80 gaming machines per licence. In order to be entitled to an allowance of 80 gaming machines, 1968 Act casinos will need to comply with the same minimum requirements as a Small 2005 Act casino on gambling, table gaming and non-gambling area. A further 25 casinos have multiple licences within one premises, allowing them to supply 40 or 60 machines.
Licensed casinos are obligated to be transparent in their operations, including clear terms and conditions, bonus guidelines, and withdrawal policies. Almost all British casinos have some of these bonuses on their sites. One of the great perks of UKGC casinos is that they give out bonuses. Recently launched casinos, such as Justin Casino, BestOdds and 21bets, showcase the latest developments in the industry. When you look for unlicensed casinos and casinos not on Gamstop, you are finding sites that are willing to break the rules. These offshore casino sites do not operate under UK regulations and often do not adhere to the same standards.
We will give further consideration to these casinos having the option of reverting back to the existing (current) regime, as this will be a decision unavailable to 2005 Act Small casinos. We also acknowledge concerns about an increased availability of machines potentially leading to greater opportunities for gambling-related harm. Feedback from engagement with operators has indicated that the sliding scale as proposed would benefit the majority of casinos, with over 80% of casinos estimated to benefit depending on how floor space is reconfigured. Forty responses were received to this question, with 60% opposed to venues being able to hold multiple licences.
1968 Act casinos to be subject to a limit on the number of self-service betting terminals depending on their total gambling space. We propose that the number of machines is limited, based on the overall gambling area of the casino. These terminals are not gaming machines if they are designed or adapted for use to bet on future real events. The authorisations required may include a remote betting operating licence (required if customers are to be able to bet via Self-Service Betting Terminals), as well as a non-remote betting operating licence. In order to offer this, operators will be required to hold relevant operating licences from the Gambling Commission. Moreover, this measure would bring greater consistency to the different licensing regimes and bring greater parity between the online and land-based casinos.
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We are often engaged in dealing with prosecutions for breach of licensing conditions and are also known for our work in reviews and in particularly contentious applications. As a full-service law firm, we offer licensing work as part of a service with other departments and disciplines such as commercial property or insolvency. Our team combines expertise in both licensing and business regulation.
Additionally, gambling companies need to comply with the Financial Action Task Force’s Recommendations. According to these rules, gambling companies must assess the risk of money laundering and terrorist financing in their business. All licensed operators must comply with the License Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP). In December 2023, the Gambling Commission launched a new ‘Tell us something in confidence’ service to report criminal and suspicious activity in the gambling industry.
The vast majority of responses stated that specific safer gambling messaging should be considered within cashless gambling. We do not propose that staff alerts are required for Category D machines that accept direct debit card payments. However, we think that this is an important tool that staff could use to monitor players and therefore, it should be a feature on Category B and C machines accepting cashless payments.
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Please see the casino (host), bingo (host), general betting (host) (real events) or general betting (host) (virtual events) licences for further details. If you manufacture gambling software, but also provide facilities for gambling only in circumstances in which you host those facilities through other operators’ platforms, then you may be eligible to hold a host operating licence. Some gambling software businesses provide facilities for remote gambling by making their games or betting content available to customers of other operators.
Option 1: Introduce the 50/50 rule while maintaining the current requirements for ‘available for use’
No licence details in the footer; no entry on the UKGC public register; no GAMSTOP or safer-gambling tools; pressure to deposit quickly; vague or missing terms; and no clear company name or complaints process. For UK players, a UKGC licence is the line between a protected experience and a gamble on the casino itself. You may see offshore casinos advertised as “non-GamStop” or promising bigger bonuses with fewer checks. For more on how these rules shape bonuses and play, see our casino bonuses guide and our responsible gambling page.