The independent regulatory body responsible for licensing and overseeing all commercial gambling in Great Britain.
The Gambling Commission is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Established under the Gambling Act 2005, the Commission began operating in September 2007, taking over responsibilities from the Gaming Board for Great Britain.
The Commission regulates commercial gambling in Great Britain, which includes England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has its own separate gambling legislation and regulatory framework, meaning the Gambling Commission has no jurisdiction there. Northern Ireland residents seeking consumer protection should consider using UKGC licensed operators.
"Our purpose is to make gambling fairer and safer by regulating the industry, informing players and providing research, advice and guidance."
— Gambling Commission
The Commission's regulatory jurisdiction covers:
Since the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014, all operators who transact with or advertise to consumers in Great Britain must hold a UKGC licence, regardless of where they are based. This "point of consumption" regime ensures British players receive consistent protection across all gambling platforms they use.
The three statutory objectives that guide all Commission licensing and regulatory decisions
Prevent gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime or disorder, or being used to support crime.
This includes preventing money laundering, fraud, match-fixing and the infiltration of organised crime into the gambling industry.
Ensure that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way.
This means games must be fair and properly conducted, terms must be transparent, and customers must be treated honestly.
Protect children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling.
This includes preventing underage gambling, identifying problem gambling, and providing support tools and interventions.
The Gambling Act 2005 grants the Commission extensive powers to regulate the gambling industry and enforce compliance with licence conditions.
The Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) set out the mandatory requirements that all licensed operators must meet. The LCCP is regularly updated to respond to emerging risks and strengthen player protections.
These provisions are mandatory licence conditions. Breach of a social responsibility code provision is a breach of licence conditions.
These represent industry best practice. Operators do not need to follow them if they can demonstrate equivalent or better measures.
Operators must identify customers who may be at risk of harm and interact with them in a way that minimises the risk of experiencing harm from gambling.
All operators must offer self-exclusion facilities and participate in multi-operator self-exclusion schemes like GAMSTOP.
Remote operators must verify customer age before they can deposit, access free-to-play versions of gambling games, or gamble.
Operators must segregate customer funds and disclose their protection level (basic, medium, or high) to customers.
The Commission takes a risk-based approach to compliance and enforcement. Serious breaches or patterns of non-compliance result in formal regulatory action and sanctions.
Operators who breach licence conditions may agree regulatory settlements with the Commission. These typically include:
The Commission has increased its focus on social responsibility failures and anti-money laundering compliance. Recent enforcement actions have resulted in penalties of tens of millions of pounds for operators failing to:
The Commission may conduct a formal review of an operator's licence suitability at any time. This may result in:
Browse our database of regulatory actions taken by the Gambling Commission against licensed operators, including sanctions, financial penalties and licence revocations.
View Regulatory ActionsThe Commission provides information and guidance to members of the public on gambling regulation in Great Britain.
If you believe an operator has breached their licence conditions or that illegal gambling is taking place, you can report your concerns to the Commission. This includes:
The Commission does not resolve individual disputes between players and operators. If you have a complaint about a licensed operator:
Gambling Commission
Victoria Square House
Victoria Square
Birmingham
B2 4BP
Website:
gamblingcommission.gov.uk