The Must-Know UK Gambling App Laws
The UK is home to one of the largest and most open mobile gambling industries in the world, but how much do you know about its gambling app laws? In this guide, we’ve shared an accurate guide to the legal online gambling market to inform you, dispel common myths, and ease frequent gambler concerns.
What are the UK Gambling App Laws?
Before we can explore the ins and outs of the UK’s gambling app laws, it’s important that you know about the history of the market. To get this guide started, we’ve looked at a timeline of important dates in recent UK gambling history, including the creation of the UK Gambling Commission. Whether it’s the payment restrictions, security features, or problem gambling prevention tools, each category ensures that operators act with integrity.
As the sole regulator of the online gambling market, it’s worth understanding how the commission licenses new websites and deems their operations to be legitimate. By demonstrating the importance of licensing, we hope to arm you with the tools you need to ensure that you only gamble at safe and legal sites. We’ve then continued to break down the most important regulations that govern best UK mobile casinos.
The History of UK Online Gambling
To tell the story of the UK’s gambling app laws, you need to look back to the first laws that legalized gambling. While racetrack betting was legalized in 1928, it wasn’t until the Betting and Gaming Act of 1960 that wider sports betting and casino gambling were legalized.
The modern online gambling market was actually created in the UK, when the now-iconic Microgaming software company launched the first gambling software and online casino in 1994. As the market quickly boomed, lawmakers soon realized that they would need to adapt to the market.
The Gambling Act of 2005 was the first major update to gambling laws in nearly 50 years and consolidated gambling legislation into one act. This law established that online casinos and online sportsbooks could legally operate as long as they were licensed by a state regulator.
When the act came into effect in 2007, so too did the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). Over the years, the gambling app laws have evolved to address topics such as mobile gambling, advertising, payments, and much more. You can find a timeline below of the most important dates in UK gambling history.
| 1928 | The Racecourse Betting Act is established to legalize horse race betting. |
| 1960 | The Betting and Gaming Act legalizes casinos and sports betting. |
| 1994 | The National Lottery is established. The same year, Microgaming becomes the first online casino operator. |
| 2005 | The Gambling Act passes, legalizing online gambling. |
| 2007 | The UK Gambling Commission begins to license gambling operators. |
| 2018 | GAMSTOP, a UKGC self-exclusion program, is launched. |
| 2020 | The UKGC bans the use of credit cards for online gambling. |
The UK Gambling Commission
It is the responsibility of the UK Gambling Commission to license all online gambling regulators, to uphold regulations, and to make suggestions about gambling law changes to parliament. The sole gambling authority of the UK, the commission is regarded as one of the most respected licensing agencies in the world.
It is illegal to gamble at an online casino or sportsbook that has not been licensed by the UKGC. This is why you should always check the license details of your mobile gambling app operator before you deposit any money. You will find a site’s licensing details on the bottom of the homepage or within your app’s settings.
Not only does licensing keep your gambling safe, but it also ensures that products are fair and that you’ll always receive owed payouts. There are hundreds of licensed mobile gambling apps that you can sign up with, many of which offer generous bonuses and high-quality remote gambling experiences.
The Gambling App Regulations
There are several specific regulations that govern how mobile gambling apps can operate. These have all been created with gamblers’ best interests in mind, and help to keep gambling fun and safe. All legal gambling apps will follow these strict rules, so it’s worth knowing about them.
Payment Restrictions
Gamblers are able to fund their gambling account wallets using eWallets, bank transfers, debit card transfers, and prepaid cards. However, credit card transactions are now banned for deposits. This has been in effect since 2020 and was introduced to curb dangerous and unsustainable spending.
Furthermore, bettors who use eWallets such as PayPal will only be eligible to do so if their accounts are linked to their bank or debit cards. While it is not mandated by law, many banks also allow customers to limit spending on gambling websites. You can set limitations via your banking app.
Identity Verification
When you sign up to any gambling site, whether on a mobile or desktop, you will need to verify your identity. This is done to prevent minors, self-excluded persons, and banned customers from gambling. It also is important to prevent financial crimes such as money laundering and protect other customers.
Gambling apps use Know Your Customer (KYC) verification procedures to do this. You will need to submit your name, address, an email or phone number, and some official ID to prove your identity with KYC. In the UK, you are unable to gamble until this procedure is complete, which shouldn’t take longer than 24 hours.
Self Exclusion and Problem Gambling Prevention
The UK is a trailblazer when it comes to protecting gamblers from problem gambling harms. In 2018, the UKGC introduced GAMSTOP, a cross-platform register that users can sign up with to self-exclude from all gambling sites. Users can choose how long to be on the registry, and removal from the list is difficult.
Operators must also implement gambling limitation tools, such as deposit limits and timers. These tools have proven effective at minimizing potential gambling harms. You can set these limits within your account settings through most mobile apps, through your mobile web browser or on your desktop.
Bet Limits
Currently, all online gambling operators are able to set their own bet size limits. In most cases, sportsbooks set bet limits according to the maximum possible win for each sporting category. While online slots and table games also have varying limits, this could soon change.
However, in the near future, it is rumoured that the UKGC could set maximum stakes at somewhere between £2 to £5 per spin or per table game hands. If these laws are introduced, all licensed operators will need to implement these limitations or risk license loss.
Advertising Protocols
The regulations concerning gambling advertising are mandated by the Gambling Commission and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). To comply, operators must not make misleading claims about their products or target minors in any way. For example, gambling websites can not imply that gambling is a reliable means of income.
They must not suggest that gambling should be a priority, or condone any behaviours that could be deemed irresponsible. There are strict rules on the types of welcome bonuses that can be offered. If operators break these rules, they risk receiving penalties such as fines, imprisonment, or license revocation.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you still have questions about the UK’s gambling app laws, keep reading. Below, we have provided responses to some commonly asked questions about this topic so that you don’t have to read the whole article. If you’re looking for more detailed answers, use the links in each to jump up to the relevant sections.
1️⃣ Who regulates mobile gambling apps?
The UK Gambling Commission is the sole regulator for all local gambling activity, including mobile gambling apps. The commission acts in accordance with the Gambling Act and is in charge of granting licenses, upholding the gambling app laws, issuing penalties, and making legislative recommendations about the gambling industry to parliament.
2️⃣ Can I use a credit card for my mobile gambling payments?
No, you can not use a credit card to fund your online gambling wallet. This is the only restricted payment method. Alternatively, you can use debit cards, prepaid cards, eWallets and bank transfers for deposits and withdrawals. Your eWallet account can not be funded by a credit card too.
3️⃣ Can I play on mobile casinos if I’m under 18 years old?
No, online gambling apps are limited to players over 18 years old. Minors are prevented from creating accounts by using KYC verification systems. This is an important process that protects vulnerable players from gambling harm.
4️⃣ Can I restrict my access to mobile gambling apps?
Yes, you can exclude from gambling sites by using self-exclusion tools that operators must offer. The most useful of these tools is GAMSTOP, which was established by the UKGC to act as a cross-platform self-exclusion registry. You are also able to use timers and deposit limitation tools.
5️⃣ Are there any maximum bet limits on mobile gambling apps?
There are no blanket bet limits currently in place for UK gambling apps. However, the commission is expected to announce changes to the allowed maximum stakes at online casinos and sportsbooks. This would apply to slots, table games, and sports bets, and is predicted to be introduced sometime in 2023.