UK Gambling Commission licence: remote licences, fees and rules

A UK Gambling Commission licence is required by any business, wherever it is based, that provides remote gambling facilities to consumers in Great Britain. The Commission issues operating licences under the Gambling Act 2005 per activity (remote casino, betting, bingo, software and others), and from 1 October 2026 a remote casino licence costs between £8,185 and £165,069 to apply for, depending on gross gambling yield (GGY).

Who needs a UK Gambling Commission licence?

Under the Gambling Act 2005, as amended by the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014, anyone providing remote gambling facilities to consumers in Great Britain needs a Gambling Commission operating licence, whether the company sits in London, Malta or Gibraltar. This point-of-consumption rule has applied since 1 November 2014; before that, operators in “white-listed” jurisdictions could serve British players on their home licence.

The 2014 change grew out of a draft Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Bill published in 2012 and examined by a parliamentary pre-scrutiny committee in 2013, which accepted the principle that the regulator should license where the customer is. The Commission’s remit covers England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland is outside the Gambling Act 2005 and still runs under the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order 1985, which makes no provision for casinos, so land-based casino plans there depend on new legislation.

A licence is needed for the activity, not the brand. A group that runs a casino and a sportsbook holds remote casino and remote general betting activities, and each key person in the business may need a personal licence. How Great Britain sits among other regulated markets is compared on our licensing regimes overview and the European markets page.

Which remote operating licences does the Commission issue?

The Gambling Commission issues remote operating licences by activity. The main ones for online businesses are remote casino, remote general betting (standard, for real events or virtual events, or limited for small operators), remote bingo, remote betting intermediary, remote gambling software and remote gaming machine technical licences, plus host licences and remote lottery licences.

B2B suppliers are licensed too: a studio whose games are offered to British players needs a gambling software licence, and its games must meet the Commission’s Remote Gambling and Software Technical Standards, usually certified by an approved test house (see our testing labs reference).

How much does a UK Gambling Commission licence cost?

New Gambling Commission fees took effect on 1 October 2026. Both the application fee and the annual fee depend on the licence type and the operator’s annual gross gambling yield: for remote casino the application fee runs from £8,185 (GGY under £250,000) to £165,069 (£1.6 billion or more), and the annual fee from £7,000 to £1,453,949.

Combining activities adds flat surcharges. A licence that combines two of remote casino, bingo and virtual event betting costs an extra £2,100 to apply and £6,250 a year; combining all three adds £4,200 and £12,500. The first annual fee falls due 30 days after the licence is issued and is reduced by 25%, except for ancillary and linked licences; later fees are due before each anniversary of the issue date.

Worked example: a remote casino with £12 million GGY

Take a new remote casino forecasting £12 million of gross gambling yield from British customers. It falls in band G2.

1. Application fee: £55,060, non-refundable.
2. First annual fee: £51,975 less 25% = £38,981.25, due 30 days after the licence is issued.
3. Annual fee from year two: £51,975 while GGY stays in band G2.
4. Remote Gaming Duty at 40% of gaming profits: on £12 million that is £4.8 million a year, paid to HMRC rather than the Commission.
5. Statutory levy at 1.1% for online operators: about £132,000 once a full prior year of £12 million GGY exists, because the levy is assessed on the previous year’s yield.

The Commission’s own fees are under 1% of yield in this example; duty and levy are where the cost of the British market sits.

Which personal licences are required?

Individuals in senior or specified roles need a personal licence alongside the company’s operating licence. A personal management licence (PML) costs £463 to apply for from 1 October 2026 and carries a £463 maintenance fee every five years; the maintenance fee for a personal functional licence is £181.

PMLs are held by people in specified management offices, such as the overall management of the business, finance planning and control, compliance, marketing and IT security. Small operators may be able to name at least one person in a qualifying position through an Annex A declaration instead. A personal licence holder has 30 days from the five-year anniversary to pay maintenance; failure to pay leads to revocation.

What does the LCCP require of licensees?

Every operating licence carries the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP), which the Commission issues under the Gambling Act 2005. They combine licence conditions, social responsibility code provisions (which have the force of licence conditions) and ordinary code provisions, covering customer interaction, anti-money laundering, marketing, complaints and ADR, protection of customer funds and the reporting of key events.

Not every provision applies to every licence. Remote customer-interaction rules, for example, exclude gaming machine technical, gambling software and host licences, which have no direct customer relationship. Operators report regularly through regulatory returns, and the AML duties under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 run alongside the LCCP; they are covered on our AML and KYC page.

What are the UK rules on online slots, bonuses and affordability?

Online slots in Great Britain have a maximum stake of £5 per spin for customers aged 25 and over since 9 April 2025, and £2 for customers aged 18 to 24 since 21 May 2025, under the Gambling Act 2005 (Operating Licence Conditions) (Amendment) Regulations 2025. Bonus wagering requirements have been capped at 10 times since 19 January 2026.

• Stake limits: the caps apply per game cycle to online slots only, not to other casino games such as roulette or blackjack.
• Incentives: from 19 January 2026 operators may not require more than 10 re-stakes before bonus winnings can be withdrawn, and may not make a customer play two or more gambling products (for example a bet plus slots) to unlock one reward. Commission examples treat “bet £5 to get 20 free spins” as non-compliant.
• Financial risk assessments: as of the Commission’s update of 7 July 2026 these are being introduced in stages and Stage 1 has no start date yet. Stage 1 applies to the largest operators where a customer aged 25 or over exceeds £5,000 net deposits in a rolling 24 hours (£2,500 for under-25s); the final thresholds are £1,000 in 24 hours or £3,000 in 90 days for 25 and over, and £750 or £2,000 for under-25s.

These measures came out of the government’s gambling White Paper, “High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age”, published on 27 April 2023. Our responsible gambling compliance guide compares them with player-protection tools in other markets, and advertising duties for affiliates are on the affiliate marketing compliance page.

What gambling duties and levies apply in the UK?

Remote Gaming Duty rose from 21% to 40% of gaming profits from 1 April 2026, for accounting periods beginning on or after that date, following Budget 2025 and the Finance Act 2026. Remote betting will move to a 25% rate of General Betting Duty from 1 April 2027, while remote bets on UK horseracing stay at 15%.

Duty is charged on profits from UK customers wherever the operator is based, so an offshore licensee with British players registers with HMRC for Remote Gaming Duty as well as holding a Commission licence.

How long does a UKGC licence application take?

The Gambling Commission says a remote application can take up to 16 weeks to process, depending on the complexity of the business. Applications are made online, and the clock effectively starts only once the fee is paid and the file is complete.

1. Map each activity to the right licence type and estimate GGY to find the fee band.
2. Prepare the corporate file: ownership chart down to ultimate beneficial owners, source of funds, business plan and financial forecasts.
3. Draft the policies the LCCP requires: AML risk assessment, social responsibility and customer interaction, complaints and ADR, protection of customer funds.
4. Identify PML holders and file their personal licence applications.
5. Submit the application with the fee and answer the Commission’s follow-up questions.
6. Before launch, confirm games and systems meet the technical standards and register with HMRC for duty.

How does the Gambling Commission enforce its rules?

The Commission can suspend or revoke licences, impose financial penalties and agree regulatory settlements with operators. Settlements typically follow failures in social responsibility or AML controls; in March 2023 William Hill’s group companies agreed to pay a record £19.2 million over social responsibility and money-laundering failures.

Enforcement outcomes are published on the Commission’s website and in the public register entry of the licensee concerned. Cases from Great Britain and other markets are tracked on our enforcement page.

How do you check the Gambling Commission public register?

The Gambling Commission’s public register lists every business and personal licence it has issued, with account number, licensed activities, status and trading names or domains. Search by company name, account number or domain on the register at gamblingcommission.gov.uk to confirm that a website is run by a current licensee.

1. Find the licence account number, usually in the website’s footer or terms.
2. Search the public register by that number or the domain name.
3. Check that the status is active and the activity (for example remote casino) matches what the site offers.
4. Confirm the domain appears among the licensee’s listed trading names.
5. Read any sanctions shown on the entry before entering a commercial relationship.

A British licence and a Malta licence are often held by the same group; our MGA licence guide explains the Maltese side.

Frequently asked questions

Does an offshore operator need a UKGC licence to accept British players?

Yes. Since 1 November 2014 any business providing remote gambling facilities to consumers in Great Britain needs a Gambling Commission operating licence, wherever it is based. It must also register with HMRC for Remote Gaming Duty or General Betting Duty on its UK profits.

What is the cheapest UK remote gambling licence?

Among the operating licences priced above, remote general betting (real events) at band F1 is the lowest: £6,535 to apply and £5,937 a year from 1 October 2026, for GGY under £250,000. A remote casino licence in the same band costs £8,185 to apply and £7,000 a year.

Is Northern Ireland covered by a Gambling Commission licence?

No. The Commission licenses gambling in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). Northern Ireland is governed by the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order 1985, which is separate from the Gambling Act 2005.

How much is Remote Gaming Duty in 2026?

Remote Gaming Duty is 40% of gaming profits from 1 April 2026, up from 21%, for accounting periods beginning on or after that date. Remote betting General Betting Duty rises to 25% from 1 April 2027, with UK horseracing bets kept at 15%.

Do UK slot stake limits apply to roulette and blackjack?

No. The £5 limit for players aged 25 and over (from 9 April 2025) and £2 limit for 18 to 24-year-olds (from 21 May 2025) apply only to online slots, per game cycle. Other casino games are not covered by these regulations.

How often must a personal management licence be renewed?

A PML does not expire, but a maintenance fee of £463 is due every five years from 1 October 2026, payable within 30 days of the anniversary of the licence. If the fee is not paid, the Commission will revoke the licence.