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The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has introduced new changes that will affect online casinos, sportsbooks, bingo operators, and land-based casinos across the country throughout 2026.
The initial raft of changes comes into effect in January 2026 and will apply 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 the changes to the wagering requirements mean?
The UKGC outlined these changes in 2025, a formative period for sports of chance in Britain, with November 2025 The Chancellor’s Budget is widely expected to hurt gambling operators.
As we reported, the budget not as lame as gambling companies and the wider commercial sector, but a consultation, published in error and then hastily retracted, sets out a possible 30% increase in gambling license fees from the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
In the initial changes, published in 19 January 2026the UKGC is setting the pace for its biggest reform for some time.
They include 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, are also prohibited.
Speaking at an event in Barcelona, UKGC Director Tim Miller He also said he was committed to reducing the threat posed by illegal operators in the UK through tougher reforms and highlighted the actions of the regulator by 2025.
“Between April and the end of December 2025 alone, we will have:
- 592 Cease and Desists issued to advertisers and operators
- Reported 327,964 URLs to various search engines and seen 203,571 URLs removed as a result so far
- 839 websites were referred to search engines for delisting
- 627 websites were disrupted so they were removed or geo-blocked.
And that’s all without mentioning the other actions our enforcement team takes behind the scenes that we can’t discuss publicly,” Miller said.
What will 2026 look like for these changes?
According to the British gambling watchdog, there are main principles driving the changes that start in 2026.
They focus on reducing customer harm, improving transparency, and shifting responsibility for internal management, compliance, and oversight “to the operators.”
from March 2026reporting standards will undergo a change in how license ownership and financing are regulated for global operators.
It also goes back to expanding the UKGC’s compliance expectations of multinational groups and the scrutiny of funding sources and management arrangements to limit illegal sources.
Miller said of the change, “The complex business structures of the world mean that ownership and operator interests are not always clear and their financial arrangements are not always straightforward.”
More changes to come for the 2026 UK gambling landscape
April 2026 introduces a phased approach to License Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) and compliance with 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 latest consumer-oriented legislation,” Miller said in a follow-up.
The 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, demonstrating that the UKGC is making considerable efforts to reduce the window for non-compliance with devices.
A big year for 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 is the basis of the 2026 changes.
The roadmap shows a regulator acting to first tighten incentives, then governance, aligning consumer law, and physical enforcement to transform gambling in Britain.
Operators have yet to respond, and market commentators have not weighed in on the retail and consumer implications, but this has undoubtedly been a year of change in the UK gambling landscape.
Featured image: Canva
The post UK Gambling Commission betting requirements chart a course for 2026 first appeared in ReadWrite.
