UK

Allwyn UK states case amid call for National Lottery self-exclusion expansion

Allwyn UK has confirmed to SBC News that it is working closely with the Gambling Commission on responsible gaming and player monitoring amid calls for National Lottery draws to be included under Gamstop.

A British coroner has written to the Commission to suggest that National Lottery draw games should form part of the Gamstop national gambling self-exclusion scheme, reports The Times.

Online sports betting and casino operators are required to join the scheme as part of their licence conditions, but while National Lottery instant win games fall within the scope of the Gamstop regime, there is an exemption for draw games.

Emma Whitting, Senior Coroner for Bedfordshire and Luton, made the recommendation in a prevention of future deaths report sent to the Gambling Commission concerning the death of Steve Goff, a father-of-two who tragically took his own life after a long-running battle with gambling addiction.

The coroner noted that one of the last things Goff did before taking his o..

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GamStop maps North East self-exclusion in call for local support

GamStop has published a regional breakdown of engagement with its gambling self-exclusion service, beginning with a breakdown of activity in the North East of England.

The information is presented as a “heatmap of data” to help authorities and researchers understand demand for self-exclusion and inform discussions about gambling harms at community level.

By presenting localised data, GamStop hopes to encourage closer collaboration between gambling harm prevention services and public health professionals.

The North East findings were presented at the Real Voices, Real Harm, Real Change launch event in Newcastle upon Tyne, attended by public health practitioners, local authorities, treatment providers and people with lived experience of gambling harm.

The Newcastle event launched a series of films co-produced by the ADPH North East Gambling Harms Programme and members of the North East Gambling Harms Lived Experience Forum.

Katie Reynolds-Jones, Chief Marketing Officer of GamStop, s..

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Gambling Commission admits faults but backs credibility of Young People and Gambling Survey

The Gambling Commission has rejected claims that its Young People and Gambling Survey (YPGS) contains “junk statistics”, insisting that the research remains “methodologically robust and fit for purpose” despite acknowledging that its findings could be better explained. The regulator was responding to criticism from gambling policy analyst Dan Waugh of Regulus Partners, who questioned the…

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Rank agrees £5m settlement for casino AML and social responsibility failings

Rank Group has agreed to a £5m regulatory settlement with the UK’s Gambling Commission after an investigation revealed anti-money laundering (AML) and social responsibility failings.

The LSE-listed business, which owns the Grosvenor Casino, Mecca Bingo and Enracha brands, revealed in its full-year results in August that it had already set aside this exact amount of money in anticipation of a settlement, and therefore it will have no impact on group profits and has not caused a drop in Rank Group shares.

It continues a recent clampdown on AML failings by the Commission. Bet St George and BresBet recently had their licences suspended and later ceased trading due to the same missteps, Ken Howells has also had its licence suspended, while QuinnBet was ordered to pay £609,104.

All of these cases have followed the Commission placing the UK’s gambling software sector at a ‘medium risk’ of money laundering and terrorist financing in early August.

Sue Young, Executive Director of Operatio..

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Ygam hails success of inaugural initiative under UK statutory levy

UK gambling harm charity Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (Ygam) has deemed the inaugural meeting of its Prevention Delivery Network a success.

The event brought together organisations commissioned through the Gambling Harms Prevention and Resilience Fund by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) under the UK’s new statutory levy, the funding of which was awarded earlier in April.

As a reminder, the UK transitioned from a voluntary model of industry contributions to a statutory levy imposed on gambling operators to ensure that funding for gambling harm prevention remains consistent and continuous.

The collection rates vary between 0.1% to 1.1% of Gross Gaming Yield (GGY) depending on the sector, with operators offering online play sitting at a 1% levy, land-based operators at 0.4%, and bingos and AGCs at 0.1%.

Collections, due 1 October each year, are allocated at 20% for research, 30% for prevention, and 50% for treatment of problem gambling.

Ygam’s Pre..

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New UK regulations for responsible game design exclude existing machines

The UK Gambling Commission will go forward with the implementation of a revised compliance framework for land-based gaming machines.

Changes are based on a consultation paper launched last year that collected a total of 1,065 responses. The topics covered included the Gaming Machine Technical Standards (GMTS), the Gaming Machine Testing Strategy, and the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP).

Today’s response to the consultation confirms that the Commission will go through with a number of changes, although with some modifications applied as a result of the amassed reactions.

Most importantly, existing gaming machines will be excluded from the new standards given the concerns raised with the Commission about the high costs of the technical changes that businesses would’ve otherwise had to incur.

New responsible game design

Starting 30 June 2027, new category B gaming machines will have to incorporate a number of responsible gaming design features to remain compliant with..

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A list of the biggest penalties handed out to UK bookmakers

The UK gambling sector has faced growing regulatory scrutiny in recent years, with the Gambling Commission tightening its oversight of licensing duties and regulatory compliance. Financial penalties remain a prominent lever to hold operators accountable for their actions.

SBC News examines some of the biggest gambling penalties issued in the UK, highlighting the operators involved and what led to the imposed penalties that are continuing to shape the UK’s regulatory landscape.

William Hill– £19.2m

In 2023, the William Hill Group got hit with regulatory penalties on three different fronts, related to anti-money laundering and social responsibility failures.

WHG (International) Limited, operator of William Hill Online, had to settle for £12.5m with the Commission, making up the largest share of the total amount. Online casino Mr Green came in second with a £3.7m penalty, while William Hill Organisation Ltd was reprimanded with £3m.

In certain instances, customers were able to spend..

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Gambling Commission issues final call for feedback on UK regulatory burdens

UK gambling licensees and stakeholders have been notified that the Gambling Commission’s  call for proposals to reduce or limit regulatory burdens will close on Friday 25 September. The Commission initiated its exercise on 26 June as part of the Commission’s 2026/27 Business Plan. Proposals are needed to identify rules, guidance and administrative processes that could be simplified. It…

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Ex-UK gambling regulator Tim Miller launches GamReg consultancy

Tim Miller, former Executive Director at the Gambling Commission, has become the latest ex-senior figure from Britain’s betting and gaming regulator to enter consultancy work. Miller, who announced his resignation from the Commission in late June 2026, has set up GamReg Consulting, a global specialist advisory firm focused on supporting “governments, regulators and others”. It is unclear whether the “others”…

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