Every online casino shouts about its offers, but how do you know if you can trust them? I test them, so you know where's worth playing & how to get genuine value.
- The Department for Culture, Media and Sport confirmed on 30 June that Gambling Commission operating licence fees will rise 25% from 1 October 2026.
- Society lotteries are the only exemption, with fees frozen entirely, while the Commission says it's running a £4 million annual deficit and will still need £8 million in efficiency savings over the next five years.
- Around a quarter of the Commission's crime prevention and consumer protection assessments in 2025/26 found significant failings.
UK casino sites are facing a 25% rise in the fees that keep their operating licences valid, it has emerged.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport confirmed the increase on 30 June.
It follows a consultation that ran from 27 January to 30 March, which drew 47 responses, mostly from operators, suppliers and their representative bodies. The change takes effect from 1 October 2026.
It's a broad increase. Annual fees, application fees, maintenance fees, personal licences and single machine permits all rise by the same 25% headline figure.
My View
There's one exemption. Society lotteries have had their fees frozen entirely.
The government has been clear this isn't ringfenced for a specific project. It's a standalone increase, not tied to one enforcement drive or campaign.
The reasoning comes down to money. The Gambling Commission is running an annual budget deficit of around £4 million.
Even after the 25% rise, it still needs to find £8 million in efficiency savings over the next five years. Fees were last reviewed back in 2021.
The government's own document points to why the pressure has built. Around a quarter of the Commission's crime prevention and consumer protection assessments in 2025/26 found significant failings, some serious enough to put operators into special measures.
| What's changing | Detail |
|---|---|
| Effective date | 1 October 2026 |
| Headline increase | 25% on operating licence fees |
| Ringfenced? | No, a standalone increase |
| Exemption | Society lotteries, fees frozen |
| Commission's stated deficit | Around £4 million a year |
| Fees last reviewed | 2021 |
OLBG's Casino Content Manager David Coleman believes the timing makes the fee rise easier to justify than it might otherwise look.
He said: "A regulator running a deficit while a quarter of its checks are turning up serious failings isn't in a strong position.
"Fee rises never sound welcome, but an underfunded regulator is worse for players than a more expensive one that can actually do its job.
"The real test isn't the 25% figure. It's whether the extra money actually shows up as faster enforcement and fewer operators slipping through with weak controls.
"That's what I'll be watching over the next year, not the number itself."
It's the latest in a run of regulatory changes hitting UK operators this year, alongside the Commission's phased rollout of new financial risk checks.
