Punters who utilise reviews of the best licensed bookmakers will recognise that the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) is the authority which oversees the sector.
They protect consumer rights, guarantee transparency and implement measures designed to tackle any underhanded behaviour by operators or cybercriminals.
With that in mind, read on as we look at the regulatory landscape for sports betting in the UK, starting with an overview of how the system works.
UK Gambling Regulations
The UKGC is an executive, non-departmental public body of the government responsible for monitoring the gambling industry in England, Scotland and Wales.
Their wide-reaching remit covers elements such as granting licences, implementing rules and ensuring operators adhere to the strict safeguarding standards they have formulated.
They oversee the land-based and online sectors in the betting industry, each of which requires a different strategy due to the way they operate.
The 2005 Gambling Act is a key part of the betting rules in Great Britain, providing a legal framework for the industry to operate in safe and secure manner.
However, the original version of the Act was focused primarily on land-based betting, and has subsequently been tweaked to better reflect the modern landscape.
The 2014 Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act introduced a ‘point-of-consumption’ caveat which was designed to encompass how the digital betting sector operated.
This requires online gambling operators, regardless of where they are located, to acquire a licence from the UKGC to enable them to offer their services to British punters.
New bettors bidding to find the best football betting sites can now quickly discover whether a sportsbook is legitimate by checking the licencing information on each platform.
Changes to the Gambling Laws
The UKGC announced the introduction of ‘widespread changes aimed at increasing safety and customer choice’ in the betting industry earlier this year.
The changes cover numerous elements designed to reflect betting in the digital ace including customer vulnerability checks and marketing processes.
These will be implemented in four stages – August 2024, November 2024, January 2025 and February 2025 – and will ensure betting industry regulation remains fit for purpose.
One of the most important parts of the changes to the gambling laws includes ‘better identification of acutely financially vulnerable customers’ on betting sites.
‘Light touch financial vulnerability checks’ for customers with a net deposit of more than £150 a month on gambling will be effective from February 2025.
The checks were initially set at £500 a month in August, but will reduce to the lower rate in February. They will not affect consumer credit ratings.
New rules have also been introduced covering direct marketing processes, which are designed to ensure that consumers are in control of the materials they receive.
Gambling operators must provide bettors with options to opt-in to the marketing information they are interested in receiving and the channels through which they wish to receive it.
This gives punters complete control over the gambling marketing they are sent and effectively stops the industry from adopting a scattergun approach to its advertisements.
This new requirement applies exclusively to online gambling and is scheduled to come into force on Friday, January 17, 2025.
Betting Regulation in the Future
The recent change of government in the UK will not impact the implementation of the new rules. Further measures are expected to be introduced moving forward.
The outcome of a comprehensive review of incentives such as betting bonuses, free bets and other promotional offers has yet to be published by the UKGC.
The Labour Party manifesto included a commitment to reduce gambling-related harm. They insisted this would be achieved by ‘working with the industry on how to ensure responsible gambling’.
Stephanie Peacock, the Minister for Sport, Media, Civil Society and Youth, recently confirmed her department was working towards fulfilling its manifesto commitment.
“All major sports have published their gambling sponsorship Codes of Conduct, setting minimum standards for gambling sponsorships, and the Premier League’s decision to ban front-of-shirt sponsorship by gambling firms will commence by the end of the 2025/26 season,” Peacock said.
“Regarding television advertising, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the independent body responsible for regulating advertising in the UK and co-regulates broadcast advertising under contract with Ofcom.
“The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP), sister organisations of the ASA, are responsible for codifying the standards for advertising to the marketing industry as part of their CAP and BCAP Codes.
“A wide range of provisions in the codes are designed to protect vulnerable adults from harm, including those prohibiting imagery or claims that might encourage problematic gambling behaviour.
“We are considering the best available evidence from a wide range of sources to inform decisions on how best to fulfil our manifesto commitment to reducing gambling-related harm. We will provide further updates to the House soon.”