UK Gambling Commission

The Gambling Commission serves as the public licensing body for gambling in Great Britain under the sponsorship of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport. The authority issues business operating licences as well as personal licences for managers and operational staff. A licence is required for any entity providing remote gambling facilities to consumers in Great Britain or situating key equipment within the territory, regardless of whether the applicant is based domestically or overseas.

The licensing system distinguishes between operating licences, personal management licences (PML), and personal functional licences (PFL). Remote casino operations require either a direct remote casino operating licence or a game host licence for software companies that deliver games through third-party platforms. Licences cover online slots, poker, roulette, blackjack, and table games across websites, mobile devices, and television services. Online slot games follow remote technical standards requiring a minimum game cycle duration of 2.5 seconds and maximum stake limits of £2 for players aged 18 to 24 and £5 for adults aged 25 and over.

Licence fees are determined by gross gambling yield (GGY) bands from F1 to J1. Remote casino application fees range from £8,185 for operators generating under £250,000 to £165,069 for yields reaching £1.6 billion or more, while game host application fees span from £6,711 to £135,357. Ongoing annual fees range from £7,000 to £1,453,949 plus £272,324 for each additional £200 million yield over £1.6 billion, with a 25% discount applied to the first annual payment. Combining remote casino with bingo or virtual event betting requires flat supplementary application fees of £2,100 or £4,200 alongside annual fee uplifts of £6,250 or £12,500.

Applicants can be incorporated in any global jurisdiction without domestic formation, but must maintain an operational UK postal correspondence address with a consistent staff presence or appointed professional representative. Application packages require business plans, three-year financial projections, source-of-funds verification for private capital contributions exceeding £50,000, and software testing by accredited test houses. Licensed businesses, active domain names, white labels, and personal licence holders are published in the official public register, with licensees required to display their licensed status on all customer-facing websites.