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Gambling Commission in the UK (UKGC)

The Gambling Commission is the government body in the United Kingdom who is responsible for regulating and supervising those companies offering gambling. Any company who lets players bet, punt, or play games of chance for money within the UK is subject to the jurisdiction of the UKGC.

History of the UK Gambling Commission

The Gambling Act 2005 established the UK Gambling Commission. The body gained its powers on September 2007. While they operate as an independent body, they work closely with the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport. The UK Gambling Commission is responsible for regulating all forms of gambling. In the UK, this includes the following types of betting:

  • Arcades
  • Betting on Sport
  • Bingo
  • Casino games
  • Slot machines
  • Lotteries

Spread betting, while seen as betting by some, is the only form of betting that is not regulated by the Gambling Commission. Instead, that is something regulated by the Financial Conduct authority. In no way does this mean that spread betting is a valid form of financial investment. Instead, the gambling commission defers to the group most closely related with that type of gambling.

The Gambling Commission also ensure that any online gambling sites which wish to offer their services within the United Kingdom are regulated. If a company does not hold a licence from the UK Gambling Commission, then you cannot be sure that the company will be safe to gamble at. We never suggest that you risk it either, even if the company seems to be reputable.

The Aims of the UK Gambling Commission

The main aim of the UK Gambling Commission is to ensure that all gambling is carried out fairly. The Gambling Commission wishes to ensure that anybody who offers gambling services is open about the processes that they have in place. If a complaint is made about a gambling provider that operates with a UK Licence, then the Gambling Commission will take that complaint through a mediation process. Everything that the UK Gambling Commission does will be tied to ensuring gambling is carried out safely.

Companies aspiring to offer gambling services within the United Kingdom need to apply for and receive a licence before they can offer their services to players in the UK in a legal manner. If an unlicenced brand is offering services or bets to UK players, they are breaking the law of the land.

Any company licensed by the UK Gambling commission goes through regular checks to ensure that they are operating in a fair, ethical, and socially responsible manner. At any time, the UK Gambling Commission retains the right to be able to check the finances of a company that it has regulated. The UK Gambling Commission also has the right to check any software that the company uses to ensure that the software is ‘fair’ to the gambler. Likewise, the Gambling Commission actively polices advertisements. If a brand advertises in such a way that is misleading or appears to target underage gamblers, the brand is heavily fined.

While the UK Gambling Commission can’t create laws on its own, it can introduce new regulations that the licensed companies must follow. It has huge powers in this regard. It also has the powers to issue fines to any companies which seem to be falling foul of the Gambling Act 2005. These fines can be quite extensive too, often reaching into the millions of pounds for even the smallest of infractions!

What Does This Mean for Bingo Players?

If you play at an online bingo site, then it is important that you check whether the company holds a licence in the UK or not. If they do not hold a licence issued by the UK Gambling Commission, then it is important that you gamble elsewhere.

When you play on a website regulated by the UK Gambling Commission, you can feel safe. The Commission will have ‘checked’ the software used by the online bingo company to ensure that it is fair to the player. Of course, in the case of online bingo there is always going to be a winning player. This is not the type of game where the house has an edge. The bingo company cannot win. This means that there is a smaller amount of regulation in place in relation to the software that they use. Perhaps the furthest that the Gambling Commission goes is to ensure that the game is not issuing winning tickets to the bingo company (i.e. having fake tickets in play which are virtually guaranteed to win). Additionally, the Gambling Commission works to ensure that the promotions offered by a bingo site is fair and not misleading. Basically, they ensure that most everything does exactly as it says it does on the tin.

For the most part, you will not even know that the UK Gambling Commission is watching over the online bingo site. Everything that the company does will be regulated by them, but this is not really going to interfere with your playing experience. The only time that play may be hampered is due to the UK Gambling Commission’s focus on ensuring that online gamblers are not involved in money laundering. The first time you withdraw cash from your account, you may be asked to submit ID and provide other documents that verify you are “who” you say you are. The withdrawal may also be a little slower so that your information can be processed. Don’t worry. This is completely normal. It is part of the aim of the UK Gambling Commission to cut down on crime in gambling.

Other than this, you are not really going to get involved with the UK Gambling Commission. If you do have a complaint that the online company is not able to resolve, then you can talk to the UK Gambling Commission who will put through you through their ADR process. It is slow-moving, but you can be sure that you will end up with a solution that is good for both you and the online casino.

With the threat of fines lingering over every online bingo company, these fines often far in excess of their profit, you can be positive that any site regulated by the UK Gambling Commission is going to provide the safest possible playing experience for you. When you gamble at these sites, you can feel confident knowing that your money is in the best possible hands!

Our grading scale automatically fails any brand that does not possess the proper licence to offer games in a jurisdiction that requires paperwork to be “in order”.