What Are the New UK Gambling Laws?

Mike Lorente
Senior Author
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Things are changing in the UK right now regarding the legal side of gambling. At the time of writing, there is a brand new white paper being passed through government. It’s in its final stages, and it aims to bring about reform of the gambling system in the UK.

So how is that going to affect us players? That’s the big question. Will we still be able to access all the best online casinos in the UK? What about land based ones?

Don’t stress. That’s why we’re here today. Join us as we take a look at gambling laws in the UK and find out what’s changed recently so that we know which rules are going to affect us

A Brief History of Gambling Law in the UK

Gambling in the UK is not as historic as a lot of people seem to think. In fact, the first regulations were put in place in 1960, just 60 years ago. The first casino in the UK opened one year later in 1961.

In 2005, a bill was passed to make gambling a lot more accessible to the people of the UK and it came just in time for the increase in online casino usage.

An Overview of Today’s Gambling Laws

Nowadays, there aren’t actually many restrictions on what people in the UK can do in terms of gambling. You do have to be 18 years old or over if you want to have a bet on the sports or play online casino games but other than that, things are pretty relaxed!

Latest Updates to UK Gambling Law

As we speak, government ministers are putting the finishing touches on the latest white paper surrounding gambling in the UK. There’s been a backlash against betting companies recently and even the most popular online casino sites are holding their breath to find out what’s around the corner.

Right now, there is no definitive answer as to what the paper will contain. However, we can make some predictions based on comments made by ministers over the past few months and by following the trends of government activity recently.

With this in mind, we feel that the main change that will be made here will be a further crackdown on advertising. During 2021, a complete ban on pre-watershed (before 9pm) advertising was banned for all online sports betting companies yet somehow, some casino sites are still able to advertise.

That might not be the case for much longer. We feel that there is a good chance all online casino advertising before 9pm will also be banned with the next whitepaper as well as advertising in public spaces such as on billboards.

But the good news is that it’s very unlikely there will be any restrictions placed on the way UK players are allowed to use the casinos. We’ll still be able to play all the best slots and roulette games to our heart’s content, so we can all breathe a sigh of relief based on that!

Last Thoughts on UK Gambling Laws

If you like to play online casino games or bet on sports and you live in the UK, you’re pretty lucky. Gambling laws in the country are a lot more relaxed than they are in many parts of the world.

In Japan, gambling is banned altogether. And in the US, the laws are very confusing and vary from state to state but overall, it’s not ideal for most people in the country. Even with whatever the new white paper holds, the UK is not a bad place to live for gamblers.

Mike Lorente

Mike Lorente

Author & Casino Bonus Expert

821 Articles
With expertise and a knowledge base on casino bonuses that has become extensive over the years, Mike delivers detailed articles and goes the extra mile to help players around the world make an informed decision which is beneficial to them.
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