The Gambling Act 2005 (Operating Licence Conditions) (Amendment) Regulations 2025

Statutory Instruments

2025 No. 215

BETTING, GAMING AND LOTTERIES

The Gambling Act 2005 (Operating Licence Conditions) (Amendment) Regulations 2025

Made

25th February 2025

Coming into force in accordance with regulation 1(2)

The Secretary of State makes these Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 78 and 355(1) of the Gambling Act 2005(1).

In accordance with section 355(4)(e) of that Act, a draft of this instrument was laid before Parliament and approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.

Citation, commencement and extent

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Gambling Act 2005 (Operating Licence Conditions) (Amendment) Regulations 2025.

(2) These Regulations come into force six weeks after the day on which they are made.

(3) These Regulations extend to England and Wales and Scotland.

Amendment to the Gambling Act 2005 (Operating Licence Conditions) Regulations 2007

2.  After regulation 4 of the Gambling Act 2005 (Operating Licence Conditions) Regulations 2007(2) insert—

Condition attached to remote casino operating licences

5.— (1) The condition specified in this regulation is attached to each remote casino operating licence, including remote casino operating licences issued before this regulation comes into force.

(2) The condition is that, for an online slots game, the total amount which an individual may stake in relation to any game cycle may not exceed—

(a) £2, where the individual is less than 25 years old, and

(b) £5, where the individual is 25 years old or over.

(3) Where this condition is attached to a remote casino operating licence which was issued before this regulation comes into force, the condition has effect from the date on which this regulation comes into force.

(4) This regulation is subject to the transitional provision in regulation 6.

(5) In this regulation—

“game cycle” means, for an online slots game, the period beginning with the initiation of a game by the individual and ending at the point at which all money staked during the game has been lost or all money won during the game has been delivered to or made available for collection by the individual as the case may be;

“online slots game” means a casino game that is—

(a)

a reel-based game, and

(b)

is played online;

“reel-based game” means a game in which—

(a)

moving or changing images or text are displayed by the use of visual representations of reels or other means, and

(b)

an individual may win a prize(3) or some other opportunity or advantage, as represented by the resulting arrangement of those images or text;

“stake” means to pay or risk an amount in connection with an online slots game.

Condition attached to remote casino operating licences: transitional provision

6.— (1) Regulation 5 does not apply for the period of six weeks beginning with the day on which regulation 5 comes into force (“the transitional period”).

(2) During the transitional period, the condition specified in paragraph (3) is attached to the operating licences mentioned in regulation 5(1).

(3) The condition is that, for an online slots game, the total amount which an individual may stake in relation to any game cycle may not exceed £5.

(4) In this regulation “game cycle”, “online slots game” and “stake” have the meanings given by regulation 5(5).

Review

7.— (1) The Secretary of State must—

(a) carry out a review of regulation 5, and

(b) publish a report setting out the conclusions of the review.

(2) The report must—

(a) set out the objectives intended to be achieved by regulation 5,

(b) assess the extent to which those objectives are achieved,

(c) assess whether those objectives remain appropriate,

(d) if those objectives remain appropriate, assess the extent to which they could be achieved in a way which involves less onerous regulatory provision.

(3) The first report must be published before the end of five years beginning with the day on which regulation 5 comes into force.

(4) Subsequent reports must be published at intervals not exceeding five years.”.

Twycross

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

25th February 2025

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations make amendments to the Gambling Act 2005 (Operating Licence Conditions) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 2007/2257) (“the 2007 Regulations”) to specify a condition which attaches to all remote casino operating licences issued under Part 5 of the Gambling Act 2005 (c. 19).

Regulation 2 of these Regulations amends the 2007 Regulations to insert regulations 5 to 7 into the 2007 Regulations.

New regulation 5 attaches a condition to remote casino operating licences in relation to online slots games. The condition specifies maximum amounts which may be staked by an individual in relation to any game cycle for online slots games. The maximum amounts vary according to the age of the individual. The condition is subject to a transitional provision in new regulation 6.

New regulation 6 attaches a condition which applies for a transitional period of six weeks from the day on which these Regulations come into force and ceases to apply at the end of that six week period. The condition in new regulation 5 does not apply during this six week period.

New regulation 7 requires the Secretary of State to carry out a review of the condition in new regulation 5 and to publish a report setting out the conclusions of the review. The first report must be published before the end of 5 years beginning with the day on which these Regulations come into force and subsequent reports must be published at intervals not exceeding 5 years.

A full impact assessment of the effect that this instrument will have on the costs of business and the voluntary and public sectors is available from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 100 Parliament Street, London SW1A 2BQ. This document is published alongside this instrument and its Explanatory Memorandum on www.legislation.gov.uk. Hard copies of these documents are available from the same postal address.

(1)

2005 c. 19; section 355(1) was amended by section 52(5)(a) of the Scotland Act 2016 (c. 11) and by section 58(2)(a) of the Wales Act 2017 (c. 4).

(2)

S.I. 2007/2257, amended by S.I. 2010/774 and 2018/453.

(3)

“Prize” in relation to gaming is defined in section 6(5) of the Gambling Act 2005.