The UK’s iGaming industry is continually evolving to ensure providers give players a better and safer experience. Operators are also investing heavily in igaming payment fraud prevention systems to protect both their platforms and players from chargebacks, bonus abuse, and stolen payment credentials.
The establishment of the statutory levy and the closure of GambleAware both indicate a future for responsible gambling that moves away from independent charities and into public hands. We’ll also discuss potential legislation changes—like the introduction of frictionless financial checks, which are currently in the pilot stage, and calls for higher taxes among MPs across the country.
Which Changes are Set in Stone?
There are already a few changes that we know for certain are on the horizon, especially in terms of responsible gambling. The first of these is the introduction of mandatory deposit limits, which will come into effect from the 31st of October 2025. After this date, when a player signs up to a new provider, they’ll be required to set a deposit limit they’re comfortable with.
The UK Gambling Commission have made the change to the country’s most used responsible gambling tool in order to increase uptake. It comes after recent reports highlighted just how effective deposit limits are in reducing harm, with 75% of users finding they prevent them from impulse spending and 74% saying they made them feel more in control.¹ The move could indicate the future of responsible gambling tools, with the possibility for others—like session limits and breaks—to also become mandatory.
Reducing the Stakes
Another recent change came in the form of a reduction to slot stake limits, which came into effect on the 9th of April and the 21st of May of this year. The new tiered system sees an overall reduction to £5, which is then lowered again to £2 for those under the age of 25.²
Around the same time, the Government also introduced changes to slow down the speed of slots to take a minimum of 2.5 seconds for an entire cycle to complete. All these changes looked at helping players remain in control of their behaviour, with slower cycles and lower limits allowing them to better avoid the likes of overspending and chasing losses.
Establishing the Statutory Levy
Another change that we know for certain is approaching is the movement from a voluntary contribution system to a statutory fund for the prevention of gambling harm. At the moment, the Government requires providers to make contributions towards institutions that support the research, treatment, and prevention of gambling harm. The new system, which comes into place from April 2026, will see a percentage automatically taken out of providers’ revenues, paid towards gambling public health services; this percentage will range from 1% for online operators to 0.1% for some lotteries.³
The Government says that the new system is aimed at making things more transparent, with those in public health services, like the NHS, having a say over where the money actually goes. Others say that while it’s good to take the responsibility off the shoulders of providers, this shouldn’t then be placed onto already struggling national services. There’s also been criticism about having three separate national advisers for each of the funding streams (research, prevention, and treatment) to determine where the funds would be best spent. Many have voiced concerns over the potential for competition between the three, and the lack of acknowledgement of crossover between the strands.
Moving Into Public Hands and the Closure of GambleAware
The levy is the culmination of the movement towards responsible gambling being the responsibility of public authorities, rather than charities, a change that has impacted institutions like GambleAware, which is now set to close. Having received funding from the voluntary payments from providers, GambleAware will now voluntarily wind down and transfer services like its helplines over to the Department for Health and Social Care before March 2026.
Andy Boucher, the Chair of Trustees for GambleAware, welcomed the movement, saying that “the work historically delivered by GambleAware will now transition to the UK Government” and highlighting that they have “advocated” for the change for “many years”.⁴ The charity will continue its vital work until the levy is fully established and will work with the new system to ensure a smooth transition with minimum impact on players.
What Changes Could We See in the Future?
There are also a number of changes that are likely to take place in the near future to do with taxation in sports betting and the establishment of frictionless financial checks.
What do the Proposed Tax Changes Look Like?
As they look to capitalise on the growing popularity of slots, a group of MPs have proposed an increase in Remote Gaming Duty, from 21% to 50%. They argue that it could result in millions of pounds of extra funding for NHS gambling support, research, and prevention, which would ultimately make things safer for players. Providers have been pushing back, arguing that it could result in rising prices, providers leading the UK, and players being nudged towards unsafe offshore sites.⁵
The Strain on Horse Race Betting
The proposed increase on sports betting made headlines in recent weeks, as the horse racing industry pushed back against the changes with an industry-wide strike on the 10th of September. The sport is heavily subsidised by income from bookies and, according to trainers, would be “unable to cope” with the overall increase in sports betting tax from 15% to 21%.⁶ The British Horse Racing Authority said around £66 million in support would be lost for the sport, which could cripple an already struggling industry.
Although the Government is set to increase sports betting tax, the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Dan Tomlinson, said it was unlikely to impact horse racing, which already sees a 100% tax break. In an already challenged sport, any change in funding could be monumentally damaging, which any legislative changes will have to take into consideration.⁷
Frictionless Financial Checks
The UKGC is currently trialling financial checks that look at the risk of harm to players who deposit over £150 in a month. Using publicly available information, like credit scores and debt reports, the checks indicate whether the player is at high risk of harm based on their gambling activity.
The trials are in the second pilot stage currently, which has seen 1.7 million checks being carried out at a success rate of 97%.⁸ Although the Government indicated that the thresholds for the checks to be triggered are not yet set in stone, alongside what exactly would happen if a player was flagged, a successful pilot would mean they could be introduced in some form over the next few years.
What Changes are Impacting the UK iGaming Industry?
There’s been plenty of both recent and upcoming changes to the iGaming industry in the UK, all designed to make playing safer and better regulated. Earlier in the year, reduced stakes and mandatory deposit limits were announced to help players better control their gambling activity; it’s possible that we could see other tools making the move to mandatory. Following these changes, next year will see the introduction of the statutory levy, which looks to better disperse the funds for the research, treatment, and prevention of problem gambling—indicating a move towards government-controlled responsible gambling.
On top of the changes we know will certainly be introduced, there are proposed changes to taxes in betting and the introduction of frictionless financial checks. Following growing calls from MPs to increase taxes, the Government seems set to hike sports betting rates—a move that could leave horse race betting dead in the water. One thing is for certain, the upcoming months and years will include big changes that the iGaming industry will have to adapt to.
² How Do Stake Limits Affect Gambling Behaviour?, Written by BIT, Published by BIT.
³ Explainer: The Statutory Levy, Written by GamCare, Published by GamCare.
⁶ ‘Horse Racing Can Not Cope with Gambling Tax Increase’, Written by BBC News, Published by BBC News.