How are New UK Gambling Regulations Expected to Affect Welsh Gambling?
The UK Gambling Commission has been overseeing some regulatory changes that are being implemented to enhance consumer safety, reduce gambling-related harms, and adapt existing regulations to the digital era. The major restriction that existed before the 2023 White Paper was that you had to be 18 years old or over to play casino games and bet on sports. Aside from this age restriction, the UK gambling scene was quite relaxed.
The introduction of the 2023 White Paper, High Stakes: Gambling Reform for the Digital Age, with new regulations implemented in stages through 2024 and 2025, has changed and will continue to change how Welsh players gamble. The impact of these regulations will be a bit more profound in Wales than in other regions, as gambling is a popular activity in Wales with many health implications.
Problem gambling currently costs Wales between £40 million and £70 million annually in health, welfare, and social services. In this article, I will address how the new UK gambling regulations will change the practices of operators and the consumer experience, and the many economic and social effects these changes will cause.
The Current State of Gambling in Wales
Online casinos have become a significant contributor to the Welsh economy, providing new jobs and generating millions in annual revenue. However, the risks to public health pose a major concern, as recent estimates state that around 55% of Welsh adults gamble. The rise of online gambling generally in the UK now has 19% of Great Britain adults participating.
Online gambling is getting more popular by the day; its prevalence in Wales lags a little bit behind the UK average because of less high-speed Internet access. The gap is now narrowing as Welsh digital infrastructure has been constantly improving, allowing online casinos and digital betting platforms to experience rapid growth.
The increased advertising exposure is also of major concern, as adults see about two gambling ads daily, while children see about four weekly. A complete ban on pre-watershed (before 9 pm) advertising was implemented for all online sports betting companies, yet somehow, some casino sites are still able to advertise.¹
Digital betting platforms are experiencing massive growth, but at the cost of the mental health of Welsh players. This proves the need for stricter regulations. Despite its many economic benefits, gambling poses major risks, as the National Survey for Wales reported that 10% of Welsh gamblers were at risk.²
New Gambling Regulations and Their Expected Impacts on Welsh Gambling
The reforms of the 2023 White Paper are primarily focused on addressing the risks of digital gambling by ensuring every customer is protected and that the industry operates responsibly in this online gambling era. Below, I will analyse the many changes that have been applied and how they might affect your gambling activities.
Financial Vulnerability Checks
Casino operators are now required to conduct vulnerability checks when a customer’s net loss exceeds £125 in 30 days or £500 in a year. These checks focus solely on publicly available data and allow you to provide feedback through consultation. The public data that the UKGC will analyse is;
- Bankruptcy orders
- County Court Judgments (CCJs)
- Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs)
- and Debt Relief Orders (DROs)
These will help identify players who are likely to be at risk. Your operator has to take action the moment a financial vulnerability flag is raised and consider the information alongside other data they have about you. They are then required by new regulations to take actions, including contacting you, encouraging you to set deposit limits, or even imposing betting limits on you if there is a serious risk detected.
This new regulation will help cut down on many cases where operators have been negligent and have;
- Failed to take account of a customer’s bankruptcy and let them gamble without any safeguards
- Enabled a customer to spend £245,000 in three months despite knowing she was an NHS nurse earning just £30,000 a year.
- Enabled a customer to lose £70,000 over 10 hours, just a day after opening the account
- Gave a customer, who they knew was earning £1,400 a month, a monthly deposit cap of £1,300³
Stake Limits on Online Slots
When you think about online casino games, slots are always one of the top three options that come to mind. The product is, however, a very risky one, susceptible to significant losses and binge play. Casino games are usually very fast-paced and immersive to the point where you could lose your entire bankroll in one sitting before you realise what’s going on. To prevent this, the UKGC has rolled out new limits on slots.
The most direct impact of these limits is a significant reduction in the amount of money you can lose in a single spin on online slot games. A maximum stake of £5 per spin will apply for all adults aged 25 and over, while young adults aged 18 to 24 will be limited to £2 per spin.
As I mentioned, slots are usually very fast-paced, and the UKGC has rolled out new regulations that aim to slow down the pace of online slot gameplay. These new regulations will allow Welsh gamblers to slow down the pace and consider their actions. Slot features that speed up the gameplay, like autoplay and turbo buttons, will also be removed from all UK casinos.
Marketing Reforms
The new regulations will bring many new marketing reforms that are set to significantly change how gambling operators can interact with Welsh gamblers. I’ll break down each marketing reform and its potential impact below.
- Ban on Cross-sell Promotions (effective December 19, 2025): This is not good news if you are a fan of bundled promotions, but this new rule is being implemented for the greater good. Casino operators will now be prohibited from offering promotions that combine different types of gambling products. Basically, they can no longer offer bonuses for both sports betting and online slots. This will help reduce the risk of Welsh players being encouraged to try higher-risk products, and it will also help prevent confusion from complex terms and conditions.
- Limits on Wagering Requirements (effective December 19, 2025): This is one of the best developments of the new marketing reforms. The UKGC has decided to put a limit on the number of times bonus winnings must be re-staked before they can be withdrawn. In essence, the wagering requirement for bonus winnings is now limited to 10x the bonus amount. This will make bonus offers fairer, and it will also help players reduce the likelihood of getting caught in cycles of continuous betting in an attempt to meet unrealistic wagering requirements.
- Stronger Consent for Direct Marketing (effective May 1, 2025): On the last page when signing up to a new casino, you will notice that there is usually an option to accept terms and conditions, and another for marketing promotions. These boxes are usually pre-ticked, but with new regulations, casinos can no longer use the soft opt-in (pre-ticked boxes) to force players to receive marketing promotions. You will have to actively opt in to receive any promotional messages.
- Trustworthy Safer Gambling Messages: The UK Government and the UKGC are now working hand in hand to develop evidence-based safer gambling messages independent of the gambling industry. You can now expect to see more effective and trustworthy information about the risks associated with gambling and where you can find help.⁴
Statutory Levy
The statutory levy, which became effective on April 6, 2025, mandates all licensed gambling operators to contribute a certain percentage of their Gross Gambling Yield. All gambling operators licensed by the UKGC and serving customers in Wales will be charged this levy based on their GGY. The rates vary depending on the type of licence, with online operators generally facing a higher levy rate of 1.1%, compared to land-based operators ranging from 0.1% to 0.5%.
The Government’s consultation proposes that the distribution of funding be split up as follows;
- Research: 10–20% of funding to UKRI for the establishment of a Gambling Research Programme (GRP)
- Prevention: 15–30% of funding to create a coordinated GB-wide approach to prevention, early intervention, and education
- Treatment: 40–60% of funding to the NHS in England, Scotland, and Wales to commission treatment and support services⁵
The UKGC aims to generate approximately £100 million annually across Great Britain with this statutory levy. The Welsh Government will receive a portion of this levy to commission treatment and support services for gambling-related harm. The gambling industry is now being mandated to contribute towards addressing the harm associated with their products. The contributions were voluntary before, but new rules now apply.
To Wrap Up
The new gambling regulations aim to balance the contributions of the gambling industry with the pressing need to address public health concerns. With several new measures, like financial vulnerability checks, stake limits on online slots, marketing reforms, and the statutory levy, these reforms will be able to improve consumer safety and reduce gambling-related harm, which currently costs Wales a whopping £40 million and £70 million annually.
