UK Gambling Commission (Great Britain)

Key facts (as of 29 October 2026)

• Regulator: Gambling Commission (UKGC), gamblingcommission.gov.uk. Remote operators serving consumers in Great Britain need a UKGC operating licence. Northern Ireland has a separate regime and is not covered here.
• Credit cards: banned for gambling from 14 April 2020 (UKGC).
• Reverse withdrawals: prohibited for all remote operators (UKGC consultation response on online games design and reverse withdrawals).
• Deposit checks: financial vulnerability checks from £150 net deposits in 30 days, from 28 February 2025. Financial risk assessments at £5,000 in 24 hours (£2,500 for under-25s) were confirmed in July 2026, with a start date to follow (UKGC).
• Slots stake limits: £5 per spin from 9 April 2025, and £2 for 18–24-year-olds from 21 May 2025, attached to remote casino licences by SI 2025/215 (UKGC; legislation.gov.uk).
• Duty: Remote Gaming Duty rose from 21% to 40% on 1 April 2026. A new 25% remote rate of General Betting Duty applies from 1 April 2027, except on remote bets on UK horseracing (HMRC).
• Crypto: in February 2026 the Commission said it would explore a route for cryptoasset payments. Its then executive director, Tim Miller, called this a "tentative first step" (European Gaming, 30 June 2026).

What the Commission licenses

The UKGC issues operating licences by activity (for example remote casino, remote betting, remote bingo), plus personal licences for key people. Its Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) carry most of the payment rules below. Licensees must apply them across every payment method they accept, not just cards.

NoteLicence fees are set in regulations and scale with gross gambling yield. We did not read the current fee schedule this pass, so this article gives no fee figures.

Payment rules at a glance

Customer funds and insolvency ratings

Remote operators must keep customer funds separate from business accounts and tell customers how protected those funds are if the operator fails. The Commission's ratings are:

Source: UKGC, "The customer funds insolvency ratings system".

For a settlement provider, this matters because player balances held in a stablecoin wallet are still customer funds. The rating disclosed to players has to match how those balances are actually held.

How deposit checks escalate

flowchart TD
    A[Player deposits] --> B{Net deposits reach 150 GBP in 30 days?}
    B -- No --> A
    B -- Yes --> C[Financial vulnerability check]
    C --> D{Higher spend thresholds hit?}
    D -- Yes --> E[Financial risk assessment, once in force]
    D -- No --> F[Continue with monitoring]
    E --> G[Limits, interaction or closure]

Duty: what changed in 2026–27

Source: HMRC policy paper, "Gambling duty changes".

Crypto

The Commission has not published a general crypto payment route. Licensees must notify it of changes in payment methods (key event 8) and review their AML risk assessment before adding one (see Crypto under gambling licences). In February 2026 it said it would explore a route for cryptoasset payments, which its then executive director, Tim Miller, called a "tentative first step" (European Gaming, 30 June 2026).

Illustrative example

The firm and figures below are invented to show the mechanics.

A remote casino licensed by the UKGC adds a stablecoin rail for paying out to players. Before launch it notifies the Commission of the new payment method, updates its AML risk assessment and checks that player balances held on the rail still sit within its disclosed customer-funds rating. Withdrawals go only to verified wallets in the player's name, and requests cannot be reversed once made.

Timeline

Q/A

Does an offshore operator serving British players need a UKGC licence?

Yes. The licence follows the consumer: offering remote gambling to people in Great Britain requires a UKGC licence wherever the operator is based.

Can players use debit cards and e-wallets?

Yes. The ban covers credit cards; how it applies to e-wallets funded by a credit card is set out in UKGC guidance we did not re-read this pass. Debit cards and other methods remain allowed, subject to the deposit checks.

Can a UK-licensed operator accept stablecoins?

There is no published general route. The Commission said in February 2026 it would explore one. Any new payment method must be notified and risk-assessed first.

Who pays the new duty rates?

The operator, on profits from British customers. The 40% rate hits online casino and slots; remote sports betting moves to 25% in April 2027.

Sources

• UK Gambling Commission, credit card ban: https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/news/article/gambling-on-credit-cards-to-be-banned-from-april-2020
• UK Gambling Commission, prohibition of reverse withdrawals for all remote operators (consultation response): https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/consultation-response/online-games-design-and-reverse-withdrawals/ogdrw-prohibition-of-reverse-withdrawals-for-all-remote-operators
• UK Gambling Commission, LCCP SR Code 3.4.4 financial vulnerability check: https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/licensees-and-businesses/lccp/condition/3-4-4-financial-vulnerability-check
• UK Gambling Commission, online games stake limits: https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/licensees-and-businesses/guide/online-games-stake-limits
• legislation.gov.uk, SI 2025/215 explanatory memorandum: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2025/215/pdfs/uksiem_20250215_en_001.pdf
• UK Gambling Commission, customer funds insolvency ratings system: https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/guidance/customer-funds-segregation-disclosure-to-customers-and-reporting/the-customer-funds-insolvency-ratings-system
• HM Revenue & Customs, gambling duty changes: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-gambling-duties/gambling-duty-changes
• European Gaming, "Curaçao's crypto guideline: what the CGA now requires of licensees" (30 June 2026; secondary source for the UKGC crypto remark): https://europeangaming.eu/portal/latest-news/2026/06/30/208477/curacaos-crypto-guideline-what-the-cga-now-requires-of-licensees/