UKGC Rolls Out Player Safety Laws Following National Gambling Survey

Following the GSGB study, published last Thursday, the UKGC has already reacted with some new gambling legislation to protect players. The Gambling Survey for Great Britain, or GSGB, is a new and more accurate public health survey – and this is the second year after it took over from the old HSE surveys.

The headline problem gambling figure, which stood at 2.7% seems pretty modest at best. If you were to extrapolate that figure and calculate it against the UK adult population, you get around 1.4 million problem gamblers. Of course, that is not to say the UK really does have over a million problem gamblers. This survey involved just under 20,000 people. But it gives the UK’s gambling watchdog a good baseline indicator, as they go forward with new legislation to combat gambling addiction.

Results of Year 2 GSGB Study

The UKGC published its Gambling Survey for Great Britain on October 2nd. This is the second year of the GSGB, a study that is conducted by the NatCen and the University of Glasgow. It replaced the old Health Survey for England (HSE), which was deemed ineffective at finding problem gambling feedback.

The main difference is that this study uses “push to web” methods, sampling larger and more refined results. Previously, the studies used telephone formats or health survey modules, which are now seen as dated and not effective at getting precise information.

The study concluded that there is a persistent risk among UK gamblers, and this was especially higher among younger adults and people living in the more deprived areas of the UK. It also found social gambling phenomena, such as males are more likely to develop problems, and that only 21% of respondents had gambling remorse and saw it as an overall negative experience. Over 85% of participants gambled to “win big money“.

Main Highlights of the Study

The study, conducted for 2024, featured just under 20,000 participants. These participants had to answer a series of questions, specially designed to discover their gambling habits and to categorize them. Here are the brief highlights of the GSGB Year 2 study.

• 48% of UK adults gambled in the past four weeks (28% if you exclude lottery only players)
• 2.7% of adults scored as problem gamblers under the PGSI (Problem Gambling Severity Index)
• Higher risks were identified among young adults (18–24), men, and those living in more deprived areas
• Certain gambling activities, especially slots and in-play sports betting, show stronger links with higher PGSI scores
• The survey had the largest-ever sample size (over 19,700 respondents), making it the most reliable problem gambling dataset to date

UKGC New Player Safety Precautions

The UKGC Chief Executive, Andrew Rhodes, stated that the GSGB is a key building block of the evidence that helps the UKGC understand the UK’s gambling behaviour and potential consequences of gambling. With the publication, they also stated they have introduced a series of gambling legislation aimed on helping players control their spending, curb gambling marketing, and even offer risk assessment to players who go over certain limits. Here are the main points the UKGC brought up.

• Light-touch financial vulnerability checks
• Banning marketing offers involving multiple types of gambling
• Limit rollover requirements for bonus funds
• Consumer control limits for deposits
• Time and money settings for landbased sector
• Frictionless financial risk assessments for players exceeding specified limits

Now, let’s analyze those in greater depth.

Light-Touch Financial Vulnerability Checks

These are minimal checks applied to customers whose net deposits exceed a threshold (currently £150 per month). The idea is to flag indicators of financial stress without resorting to intrusive credit checks or full background screening.

• Operators use publicly available data (for example, credit reference data, affordability screening) to assess risk.
• The checks are meant to be low friction for players, intervening only when behaviour suggests potential harm.
• They act as an early warning system, prompting further review or interventions if needed.

Banning Marketing Offers Involving Multiple Types of Gambling

This rule prohibits promotional campaigns that require or encourage consumers to combine different gambling products (for example, “bet and then play slots” as a bundled deal). It seeks to reduce cross-product incentives that might push consumers toward higher-risk behaviour.

• Prevents marketing that ties together sports bets, casino play, and slot games in a single offer.
• Ensures that promotional incentives remain focused on one product type, reducing complexity and risk.
• Helps avoid situations where consumers are nudged into unfamiliar or riskier gambling modes via bundled marketing.

Limit Rollover Requirements for Bonus Funds

This measure restricts how many times a bonus amount must be wagered (or “rolled over”) before a player can withdraw winnings from it. It prevents overly burdensome wagering demands that are almost impossible to meet.

• Caps the multipliers on bonus to bet conversion so that withdrawal isn’t locked behind extreme wagering.
• Encourages more transparent bonus terms, where players better understand what they must do before funds become “real.”
• Deters operators from offering superficially generous bonuses that are, in practice, unredeemable.

Consumer Control Limits for Deposits

Under this rule, gambling operators must allow players to set personal deposit limits, which act as self-imposed barriers to spending. These limits are meant to be adjustable but always under the player’s control.

• At registration (from 31 October), customers will be prompted to set a deposit limit before the first deposit.
• Players must be able to review and adjust those limits periodically (every six months).
• This measure gives consumers a proactive tool to manage their spending and reduce impulsive losses.

Time and Money Settings for the Land-Based Sector

This refers to introducing system-level controls in physical gambling venues such as UK landbased casinos, betting shops, and gaming machines. These monitor and limit how long or how much money a patron can use at the venue. It aims to carry over safer gambling safeguards from online to offline environments.

• Operators may implement session timers, which alert or block further play after a specified duration.
• Monetary caps on how much one can lose or wager in a session could be enforced.
• Safer gaming messaging or reminders may be displayed on machines or terminals to increase awareness during play.

Frictionless Financial Risk Assessments for High-Spending Players

These are more advanced, automated assessments triggered when a player’s spending exceeds higher thresholds (£1,000 in 24 hours or £2,000 in 90 days). They aim to detect risk without interrupting the player’s gaming, so that the UKGC can get an accurate assessment of their gaming habits when they spend more money.

• Piloted by the UKGC, these assessments may draw on data-sharing between credit agencies and gambling businesses.
• They operate in a “frictionless” manner. These are invisible to the user unless risk thresholds are triggered.
• If flagged, they could prompt additional checks or safer gambling interventions (for example asking the player to confirm affordability or pause activity).

Educating the Public on Gambling Dangers

From a punter or a player’s point of view, you are getting highly regulated gambling products from licensed UK game and sports betting vendors, which is positive. The UK has famously come at popular casino games, such as fruities (AKA slot machines), with laws that slow the game speed, and they banned autoplay/turbo or quick spin, and spin-stop functions to ensure gamers don’t zone out and get stuck in the never-ending loop of slots play.

They have also clamped down on advertising and bonus marketing to ensure it doesn’t reach youngsters and target vulnerable groups. Many health and safety organisations in the UK actively educate players on the risks of gambling and provide clarity regarding the emotional triggers, intermittent reinforcement models, dopamine regulation and other psychological mechanisms that gambling can trigger.

• GamCare
• GambleAware
• National Gambling Helpline
• Betknowmore UK

What’s Next for the UKGC

The publication comes just weeks ahead of the highly anticipated UK Autumn Budget, in which the government is expected to hike the UK’s gambling tax. Operators have publicly stated their concerns regarding the tax increase, especially in the horse racing industry, which relies heavily on the sponsorships and revenue from horse race betting.

In general, Europe seems to be tightening its fist on gambling, with player protection regulation and clamping down on gray market offshore licensed platforms. Spain probably has the most drastic gambling awareness campaigns, having rolled out gambling harm labelling and it will introduce an AI problem gambling detection system next year.

But where there are restrictions, there is more reason for players to seek those gray market and internationally licensed online casino operators. Now, in the UK, industry insiders are focused on the Autumn Budget, which will roll out at the end of October, and will see where the player protection and tax schemes take the UK’s gambling industry next.