UK Gambling Licence Guide: How to Get Licensed by the Gambling Commission

The legal framework: the Gambling Act 2005

Modern gambling regulation in Great Britain rests on the Gambling Act 2005. The Act created the Gambling Commission, which took over from the Gaming Board for Great Britain as the regulator for commercial gambling, and it defined the main forms of gambling:

• gaming: playing a game of chance for a prize;
• betting: making or accepting a bet on the outcome of a race, event or other uncertain result;
• lotteries: arrangements in which people pay to take part and prizes are allocated by chance.

The Act also sets three licensing objectives that guide every decision the Commission takes: keeping gambling free of crime and disorder, making sure it is conducted fairly and openly, and protecting children and other vulnerable people from harm or exploitation. Note that the Act applies to Great Britain; Northern Ireland has its own gambling legislation.

A second milestone followed in 2014. The Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014 introduced point-of-consumption licensing: since November 2014, any remote operator that serves customers in Great Britain or advertises to them needs a Commission licence, wherever the company is based.

Why operators pursue a UKGC licence

• Market access: it is the only legal route to British customers.
• Credibility: the licence is recognised worldwide and reassures partners, investors and other regulators.
• Banking and payments: banks and payment providers are far more willing to work with a UKGC-licensed business.
• Content: leading studios supply British-licensed operators with GB-certified versions of their games.
• Player trust: players can turn to the regulator and to an approved alternative dispute resolution provider when a complaint is not settled.

Which licences an online business needs

The Commission issues operating licences by activity, and a business needs one for each activity it offers. Common remote licences include:

• Remote casino, for slots, table games and other casino content online;
• Remote general betting, for sports and event betting;
• Remote bingo;
• Remote betting intermediary, for betting exchanges;
• Gambling software, for businesses that manufacture, supply, install or adapt gambling software.

Licences are also split by how gambling is delivered. Remote licences cover the internet, phone and other remote communication; non-remote licences cover premises such as betting shops and casinos; ancillary remote licences let premises-based operators use remote communication in a limited way, for instance taking the occasional bet by phone.

Alongside the operating licence, people in key management roles, such as those responsible for finance, compliance and marketing, need a personal management licence. Small-scale operators may qualify for exemptions, so check the Commission's guidance for your structure.

How the application works

Applications are made online through the Gambling Commission's website. A typical route looks like this:

1. Map your activities and decide which operating and personal licences you need.
2. Prepare the business: company structure, ownership, funding and key people.
3. Write your policies: anti-money laundering, safer gambling, customer interaction, complaints and dispute resolution, terms and conditions and information security.
4. Line up certified suppliers: your platform and games must come from licensed software suppliers and be approved for the British market.
5. Submit the application with the fee, which depends on the licence type and your expected gross gambling yield (GGY).
6. Answer questions: the Commission often comes back with follow-up questions and may interview key people.

Plan for the assessment to take several months; incomplete files and unclear ownership slow it down further. Once a licence is granted, the first annual fee is due within 30 days.

What the Commission assesses

Not every applicant succeeds. The Commission looks closely at:

• Identity and ownership: who owns and controls the business, down to the ultimate beneficial owners;
• Integrity: the honesty, regulatory history and any criminal record of the people involved;
• Competence: the relevant experience and qualifications of the management team;
• Financial resources: whether the business is adequately funded and whether those funds come from legitimate sources;
• Readiness: whether the policies and procedures will genuinely meet the licence conditions from day one.

Documents to prepare

Requirements depend on your structure, but a remote casino applicant should expect to provide:

• corporate documents and a group structure chart;
• identity and background information for owners and key people;
• a business plan with financial forecasts, typically covering the first three years;
• evidence of funding and its source, including recent bank statements;
• details of the gambling software, the suppliers and how games are delivered;
• the policies listed above, written for your actual operation rather than copied from a template.

Ongoing compliance and social responsibility

The licence comes with the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) and Remote Technical Standards, which apply every day. Key obligations include:

• Age and identity verification before a customer can deposit or gamble;
• Anti-money laundering controls in line with UK money laundering regulations, including risk assessments and source-of-funds checks;
• Safer gambling tools such as deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion, plus participation in GAMSTOP, the national online self-exclusion scheme;
• Customer interaction: spotting signs of harm and acting on them;
• Fair, transparent terms, including clear bonus rules;
• Regulatory returns filed on time, and prompt reporting of key events;
• Responsible advertising under the CAP and BCAP codes, which the Advertising Standards Authority enforces.

Some rules are specific to Britain. Gambling with credit cards has been banned since April 2020, and slot design rules introduced in 2021 removed features that speed up play, such as autoplay, and set a minimum spin speed.

Enforcement is real. The Commission regularly imposes multi-million-pound penalties for anti-money laundering and social responsibility failures, and it can suspend or revoke licences. It also offers a confidential route for reporting concerns such as match-fixing, underage gambling and money laundering.

Choosing a platform and suppliers for Great Britain

Your technology partners are part of your licence application, so choose them with the British rules in mind:

• Licensed suppliers only. Anyone who manufactures, supplies, installs or adapts gambling software for British customers needs a Commission licence. Ask every platform provider and game studio for their licence details before you sign.
• GB-compliant game versions. Slots offered in Britain must follow the local game design rules and stake limits, so studios often run separate GB builds. Confirm that every title in your lobby is approved for the market.
• Player protection built into the platform. The back office should handle age and identity checks, deposit limits, time-outs, self-exclusion and the GAMSTOP connection without workarounds.
• Monitoring and reporting. You need tools that flag markers of harm and suspicious transactions, record the action taken and produce the data behind your regulatory returns.
• Bonus controls. Your bonus engine must be able to enforce the wagering cap and the restrictions on mixed-product promotions described below.

Gaps in any of these areas tend to surface during the Commission's questions, so it pays to test them before you apply.

Fees, taxes and keeping the licence

Costs come in several layers:

• Application fee: a one-off charge scaled to the licence type and expected GGY.
• Annual fee: also based on licence type and GGY band; the Commission publishes its current fee tables online.
• Remote Gaming Duty: a point-of-consumption tax on gross gaming profits from British customers. It was introduced in December 2014 at 15%, rose to 21% in April 2019, and the November 2025 Budget raised it to 40% from April 2026. Remote betting is taxed separately under General Betting Duty.
• Statutory levy: since April 2025, licensees pay a levy that funds research, prevention and treatment of gambling harm, charged as a percentage of GGY that varies by sector.
• Corporation tax on profits, plus the cost of compliance staff, audits and game testing.

A British operating licence has no fixed expiry date. It stays in force as long as the annual fee is paid and the conditions are met, so there is no periodic renewal application. The Commission can still review, suspend or revoke a licence at any time, and changes of ownership or key personnel must be reported.

Recent reforms to build into your plan

The government's 2023 white paper, High Stakes: Gambling Reform for the Digital Age, set off a series of changes that new applicants need to design for:

• Online slot stake limits: £5 per spin for adults aged 25 and over and £2 for 18 to 24-year-olds, in force since 2025.
• Bonus rules: since January 2026, wagering requirements are capped at 10 times the bonus, and promotions that mix different gambling products are restricted.
• Financial risk checks: the Commission has been piloting frictionless financial vulnerability checks for higher-spending customers.
• The statutory levy described above.

The rules continue to evolve, so check the Commission's latest guidance before you lock in a product roadmap.

Is a UK licence right for your project?

A Gambling Commission licence suits operators with the budget, compliance capacity and long-term commitment to compete in a mature market with high taxes and tight rules. Many new brands start in another jurisdiction and add Great Britain once their operation, tools and finances can support it.

Whichever route you choose, the platform must support the controls regulators expect, from KYC and limits to reporting. Our licensing hub covers the jurisdictions we work with, and our overview of online gambling licences compares the main options.