UK Gambling Regulations for 2025
Online betting
Published By: Ayorinde Oluokun
Britain’s Gambling Commission has announced significant amendments to its online gambling rules, which are to come into play in January 2025. The new regulations have placed greater emphasis on consumer safety and are part of the ongoing work to prevent gambling-related harm and ensure a fair market.
Financial Checks
Among the major updates for UK gambling regulations in 2025 are new financial checks on high-spending players. Online operators are already required to conduct light-touch financial checks on players depositing more than £500 in a month. This regulation came into effect at the beginning of September 2024. By February 2025, the threshold for these checks will lower to £150.
The Gambling Commission is also conducting a six-month pilot test to refine its financial vulnerability checks, with a focus on high-spending accounts. This pilot will assess how credit reference agencies and gambling businesses can collaborate to create effective checks that balance consumer protection with player freedom.
Changes to Game Design
The new rules will also affect the design of online gambling games. These changes are aimed at reducing the speed and intensity of online gambling, especially for slots and other games where quick results can encourage excessive play. However, they will not include peer to peer poker games online unlike those playable in other regulated countries. Starting on January 17, 2025, operators will need to implement several restrictions, including:
Marketing Restrictions
The regulations also address a major area of concern, which is the use of targeted marketing. From January 2025, online operators must make it possible for customers to opt in to marketing about specific products and to choose how they wish to be communicated with. Furthermore, they are prohibited from sending advertising to customers who have not agreed to receive it. The intention of this is that players receive only those marketing messages in which they are genuinely interested.
Retail and Land-Based Venues
Staff in gambling premises will be required to check the age of anyone who appears to be under 25, from August 30, 2024, up from the current requirement of 21 years. These checks are needed to prevent underage gambling and ensure that players are those legally allowed to gamble.
Industry Voluntary Code
Alongside the regulatory changes, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has introduced a voluntary industry code to address customer checks. This code will remain in place until the full system of financial vulnerability assessments is rolled out. Under this code, operators will assess whether a customer shows any signs of harm if they attempt to deposit more than £5,000 in a month. Customers making deposits over £25,000 in a 12-month period will undergo more detailed checks.
