UK Gambling Commission wagering requirements chart a course for 2026
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has introduced new changes that will affect online casinos, sportsbooks, bingo operators, and land-based casinos nationwide across 2026.
The initial raft of changes took effect in January 2026 and applies to licensed gambling operators in Great Britain, but will have a wider impact on customers and account holders, marketing partners, and those responsible for compliance and risk.
What do these wagering requirement changes mean?
The UKGC outlined these changes in 2025, a formative period for games of chance in Britain, with the November 2025 Chancellor’s Budget widely expected to be detrimental to gambling operators.
As we reported, the budget was not nearly as crippling to gambling firms and the wider commercial sector, but a consultation, published in error and then hastily reinstated, earmarked a possible 30% increase in gambling license fees from the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
In the initial changes, published on 19 January 2026, the UKGC set the course of its largest reform for some time.
They included a mandatory cap on wagering requirements for licensed operators, limiting bonus playthrough to no more than ten times the bonus amount. Promotions that combine products, such as sports betting to earn casino spins, have also been banned.
Speaking at an event in Barcelona, UKGC Director Tim Miller also said he was committed to reducing the threat posed by illegal operators in the UK through tighter reforms and highlighted the regulator’s actions in 2025.
“Between April and the end of December 2025 alone, we have:
- Issued 592 Cease and Desists to advertisers and operators
- Reported 327,964 URLs to various search engines and seen 203,571 URLs removed as a result so far
- Referred 839 websites to the search engines for delisting
- Disrupted 627 websites so that they have either been taken down or geo-blocked.
And all of that is without mentioning some of the other actions that our enforcement team takes behind the scenes that we can’t discuss publicly,” said Miller.
What does 2026 look like for these changes?
According to the British gambling watchdog, there are core tenets that drive the changes coming into force in 2026.
They centre on reducing customer harm, improving transparency, and shifting responsibility for internal governance, compliance, and oversight “onto operators.”
From March 2026, reporting thresholds will undergo a change to how license ownership and financing are regulated for global operators.
It also goes back to the UKGC’s furtherance of compliance expectations on multinational groups and the scrutiny of funding sources and governance arrangements to limit illegal sources.
Miller said of the change, “Complex global business structures mean that operator ownership and interests are not always clear and their financing arrangements are not always straightforward.”
Further changes to come for the 2026 UK gambling scene
April 2026 introduces a phased approach to Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) and adherence to the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.
“Changes to our LCCP following the introduction of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act ensure operators are clear about the most up-to-date consumer-focused legislation,” said Miller on the compliance.
Gaming Machine Enforcement changes are scheduled for summer 2026, and any highlighted non-compliant gaming machines will be subject to enforcement.
Land-based operators will face fines and regulatory action, indicating the UKGC is making considerable effort to reduce the window for non-compliant devices.
A big year for the UKGC and operator compliance
The Commission’s response to consultations arising from the 2023 Gambling Act Review White Paper, High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age are the bedrock of the 2026 changes.
The roadmap shows a regulator moving to tighten incentives first, then governance, consumer law alignment, and physical enforcement to reform British gambling.
Operators have yet to respond, and market commentators have not weighed the retail and consumer implications, but it will no doubt be a year of change in the UK gambling scene.
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