Regulated
Remote and non-remote gambling operations are licensed under the Gambling Act 2005. The Gambling Commission (GC) holds powers as the gambling regulator in Great Britain (GB), they licence, regulate, advise, and provide guidance to individuals and businesses that offer gambling in GB. The National Lottery in the UK is also under their remit. The GC represents the government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS).

The Gambling Act 2005 defines “gambling” as “gaming”, “betting” and “participating in a lottery”.

Gaming is defined as playing a game of chance for a prize. A “game of chance” includes:

• A game that involves both an element of chance and an element of skill
• A game that involves an element of chance that can be eliminated by superlative skill
• A game that is presented as involving an element of chance but does not include a sport

The 2005 Gambling Act and regulations in the form of Licence Conditions of Code of Practice are currently under review with a major revamp being proposed to take account of problem gambling and underage gambling concerns, amongst other things. For the land-based industry changes will take immediate effect to rebalance the licensing framework for those casinos licenced under the 1968 Act with those licensed under the 2005 Act.

See the Gambling White Paper which sets out these proposed changes.

Market Size
GB is the largest online gambling market in the world, comprising 15% of total global online gross gaming revenue (GGR). GGR, also referred to as gross gaming yield (GGY) is the difference between the amount wagered and the winnings paid out. The following operator data, published by the GC, looks at from July to September 2024. Total online total GGY in January to March 2025  was £1.45 billion, an increase of 7 percent from same Q in the previous year. The overall number of total bets and/or spins increased 5 percent Year-on-Year (YoY), to 25.2 billion, whilst the average monthly active accounts in the quarter increased 2 percent, to 13.5 million. Click here to read more.

In GB, online gambling currently drives 11% of total internet traffic. The global online gambling market is predicted to grow rapidly, with a forecasted compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.8% between 2018 and 2026.

The online gambling market did not materially suffer during the COVID-19 lockdown periods. Despite the lack of real sporting events, there was an adjustment to betting on virtual events and eSports. The GC feared a rise in overall levels of problem gambling; however, the statistics show that there was no material rise during this period.

Competitive Landscape
There are currently 2,711 licensees as of May 2025. The full register of gambling businesses can be found on the GC website.

The market is dominated by major gambling conglomerates following a series of M&As, where the top 3 operators have increased their market share from around 1/3 to 1/2 in just the last five years. The top 10 operators now represent 77% of total B2C GGY in Great Britain and the top three represent over 50%.

Localisation
With use of credit cards no longer possible and pre-paid cards limited due to money laundering concerns, debit cards and EWallet’s are widely used subject to no links to credit card funds.

Marketing channels are wide with sports sponsorships and accompanying international TV broadcasting exposure popular for branding purposes, though this will be curtailed under upcoming changes to the Gambling Act. In particular voluntary action has been taken by the English Premier League to ban shirt sponsorships by end of 2025/26 season.

Use of crypto currencies or operation of blockchain bases gambling operations are not expressly banned but take up has been poor given lack of guidance and perceived high risk aspect by GBGC.

Top Key Attractions and Challenges

Attractions

• No requirement for infrastructure and/or key personnel to be based in GB or even in EEA / whitelisted countries
• Still the largest online gambling market in the world
• Extensive array of products that can be licensed with only a few exceptions, such as betting on National lottery / Euro Millions
• Highly regarded jurisdiction reputation-wise

Challenges

• Highly saturated market
• Strictly regulated and regular compliance enforcement means business will have to ensure they are compliant and invest in strong compliance and risk teams
• Trend of increasing taxes and levies
• Responsible gambling requirements, in particular, affordability, checks are stifling the industry
• Uncertainties created by Gambling White Paper with proposals for further tightening and restrictions for the online industry