Casinoplusbonus comments on the new rules introduced by the UKGC for online gambling sites that cover setting financial limits + player funds. (Image courtesy of the UK Gambling Commission)
The UK Gambling Commission has taken an official stance on new rules that apply to British online gambling platforms.
In a statement published on the official UKGC site, the topics cover ‘Setting Financial Limits’ and ‘how gambling platforms protect customer funds’.
Adding to this, the UKGC statement covers the new statutory levy, which will apply to online and land-based gambling entertainment establishments.
The new statement published on 4 February 2025 is our second new piece this week coming out of the British gambling market. On Wednesday, Jack Bannon wrote a piece covering the overhaul of UK gambling machine rules.
That news story also gives you direct access to other related news covering a series of rule changes in the country directly as a result of the UK Gambling Act 2005 amendments that have come into force due to the 2023 introduction of the British Gambling White Paper.
For regular news and the latest information covering the UK online gambling market’s rules covering online slot restrictions and betting limits, and information about the UKGC, our main index page for UK casinos is a good place to begin.
If you are a player or industry insider from South Africa, New Zealand, India, Canada, or New Zealand, we also have news stories covering your jurisdiction. Simply select your country flag on the Casinoplusbonus home page.
Gambling Sites to Display Mandatory Financial Limits Setting Upon Registration
The first new rule mentioned in the UK Gambling Commission report is one the team here at Casinoplusbonus fully supports. Not all casino or sports book members are aware that all British online gambling platforms come with responsible gambling tools.
With the new rule in place as of 31 October 2025, all UK gambling websites will need to request that players set financial limits as soon as they sign up. This raises awareness that the tools exist and gives players a chance to think about how much money they realistically want to spend gambling.
We also like the fact that the UKGC has also said that players will be reminded to review all financial settings every six months. It is another reminder that players and sports bettors should always be mindful of how much they spend.
As a casino reviewer for Casinoplusbonus and other online gambling sites, as part of my review process, I sign up for and play at the casino or sports book. I have already seen a few British online gambling entertainment sites that already prompt newly registered players to set limits.
| Responsible Gambling Tools Found at UK Online Gambling Sites | |
|---|---|
| Reality Check | Set the time for a pop-up to remind you how long you have been playing |
| Deposit Limits | Set maximum amounts you can deposit per day, week or month. |
| Session Limits | Set session limits between 1 to 16 hours, after which you cannot bet using real money. |
| Loss Limit | Set daily, weekly, and monthly loss limits. After which you cannot place real money bets. |
| Wagering Limit | Set a daily, weekly or monthly wagering limit that places a maximum amount you bet during the set periods. |
| Self Exclusion | You can set a cooling-off period or self-exclusion time to ban yourself from real money gambling. |
You can learn more about responsible gambling tools here. Many of the screenshots on our responsible gambling guide are from the UK casino LeoVegas.
Customer Funds Protected Against Insolvency
If you have ever attempted to collect money from a company that is bankrupt, you probably already know the dilemmas involved if the entity doesn’t have the money to pay you. Creditors such as banks swallow up the large majority of what ever is left, such as cash flow, owed invoices, and assets.
In the UK, online gambling sites should keep player funds in a separate bank account from the operator’s funds. The idea is to make this segregation so that should the gambling site’s operator become insolvent, all players who have a balance at the casino will get their money back.
Yet, not all UK sites segregate player funds, so the UKGC has come up with a way that may encourage them to do so. Call it exposure, if you will. All gambling sites must show members exactly how they store their player balances using four status signals as follows:
- High Protection
- Medium Protection
- Not Protected
- Not Protected
The UKGC explains the exact meaning of each of these statuses via its Customer Funds: segregation page.
Changes to the Statutory Levy Paid by Biritsh Gambling Operators
The final announcement in the UKGC news story isn’t one most players will be interested in, but we have been reporting and commenting on it here at Casinoplusbonus for quite some time.
All UK gambling companies must pay a levy. The new rule should come into place by 6 April 2025. At the moment, the UKGC’s LCCP states that gambling must make yearly contributions to support problem gambling research, treatment, and prevention. The rule will become obsolete, and a new mandatory levy will be put in place.
On top of tax obligations, gambling companies will also need to contribute 0.1% to 1% of Gross Gambling Yield (GGY). Initially, when white paper consultations were in place, 1% was the amount touted. The aim is to raise £90 million to £100 million annually to support problem gambling non-for-profits and research.
- Online operators will pay a levy of 1.1% GGY
- Land-based operators will luvvies of 01.%, 0.2%, or 0.5% of GGY
When we first heard about this levy, no one in the Casinoplusbonus team could see the upside to this rule for the overall British gambling market. The worry is we could lose operators in the UK gambling industry, and that’s not good news as fewer operators mean a reduction in choice for players in what is a free market.
All we can do is sit back and wait to see whether operators do exit the market and blame their exit partially on the high mandatory levy as part of the reason the UK gambling scene has become financially unviable.
The Official News Story: For more clarification, you can visit the New Rules Empowering Consumers for the whole story and official press release directly from the UKGC website.
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