UKGC Takes Tough Stance on Non-Compliant Gaming Machines

The United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) are preparing to roll out a new law this summer surrounding non-compliant gaming machines. As of July 29, any premises housing machines with existing discrepancies will be immediately removed.

Currently, under the Gambling Act 2005, land-based venues are required to have gaming machines that are fit for purpose and comply with consumer regulations. The revised rules that have been brought about came after an extensive consultation phase.

Unpacking the consultation phase

A consultation phase concerning this legislation began in January 2025. Here, the UKGC started the ball rolling to revise rules surrounding the regulator’s Gaming Machine Technical Standards, the Gaming Machine Testing Strategy, and the Licence Conditions and the Code of Practice. This consultation process lasted 18 weeks, running through until June 3 2025.

During the initial consultation part, the UKGC fielded 1,065 responses. Of these, 64 specifically addressed the proposal to introduce a general licence condition. The 64 responses were split into the following categories:

• 3 individuals responding in a personal capacity who are, or have worked directly in the gambling industry
• 33 were from gambling businesses
• 1 from charities and/or non-profit organisations
• 2 from professional bodies, including academic organisations
• 5 from trade associations
• 20 from others (clubs)

Major change for gaming machines

Originally, if gaming machines were found to have faults within them, then the operators would need to take proactive action and make sure any underlying issues were dealt with before a second on-site inspection. Essentially, dodgy machines were temporarily removed to carry out fixes before an inspection.

Now, the UKGC have taken a much more robust approach to things. Interestingly, the new rule will mark the first policy change around gaming machines since 2024, when the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, & Sport (DCMS) chose to retain the 80/20 rule on ratios in Adult Gaming Centres (AGCs) and bingo venues.

To simplify things, the 80/20 ratio means that 80% of venues need to accommodate low stake £1 Category C or D machines. The other 20%, meanwhile, can house higher £2 stake B3 machines.

Addressing the situation

With stakeholder responses indicating a strong advocacy of change in licence conditions during the consultation phase, the UKGC has tried to act in their best interests. Tim Miller, UKGC Executive Director of Research and Policy, highlighted the necessity of having a more modern gambling framework.

He said:

“The White Paper sets out that a top priority is ensuring that gambling happens safely. We share this commitment, and today’s consultation proposes how we could implement gaming changes in the land-based sector.

“We recognise that regulatory changes that impact the design of machines can come with considerable costs. We are encouraging consumers, gambling businesses and other interested groups to share evidence that will assist us in measuring both the likely regulatory impacts of the proposed changes and the likely costs of implementing them.

“This evidence will be invaluable to helping make a robust assessment on whether the benefits to consumers are proportionate to the costs involved.”

UKGC on the warpath

The UKGC have been beavering behind the scenes, and they are rolling out a raft of changes this year. The change to the licence fee is being tabled, while new rules were introduced earlier this month surrounding the banning of cross-selling betting promotions across different verticals.

Clearly, there is plenty going on at the UKGC. But the change in tack on non-compliant gaming machines could be one of the UKGC’s most significant moves to date.