Regulators ramp up scrutiny of online gambling as players get choosier
21 September 2026
Online bettors in the UK are paying closer attention to a gambling site's licence, reliability of payouts and terms attached to promotions. Regulators are visibly tightening oversight and cracking down on safety lapses, pushing sites to win players' trust.
The Gambling Commission enforces standards for UK gambling businesses, including those operating online and by phone. Its public register lists over 7,000 operators, their licences, regulatory actions and permissions.
This month, the Commission suspended the operating licences of BresBet Ltd and Bet St George Ltd. Effective 28 August, the suspensions followed section 116 licence reviews flagging suspected social responsibility and anti-money laundering control failures.
Section 116 reviews can lead to licence withdrawal or changes. Beth Thomas, Commission head of crime and permits, told b2b news site iGaming Times: "Licensing conditions are designed to ensure operators are not only running a legitimate business but also acting in the public good. Where we identify issues, we take action."
Licenced players can check the register for the company name, licence number and details. Regulator-required information includes:
- Company details, including the registered name and address
- Licensed activities
- Related regulatory actions or conditions
- Licenced sites and systems
Players also look for other security signs: a named company, UK licensing details, an independent complaints process and responsible gambling tools like betting limits and self-exclusion options.
It's not just regulatory permissions. Players want to see safe payment methods and reliable payouts. Kevin Berry, an expert on anti-money laundering in gambling, said: "Every gambling operator should have processes to verify customer identity, track transactions and report suspicious activity. Regulators are asking for this."
Under the Gambling Commission's guidance, licenced operators are expected to:
- Obtain verbal or electronic confirmation of a customer's age and identify them before accepting a bet by remotely provided facilities
- Take reasonable steps to identify financially vulnerable customers
- Keep a register of self-excluded customers
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The Commission's 2023 research highlights the trust gap. While 71% felt their gambling operator was taking steps to encourage responsible gambling, just 17% said they could easily locate information on their gambling history.
The Commission's report on distressed operator BetIndex echoes this. It urged minimum standout for information on odds, rules, costs and risks alongside "competing" promotions. It added: "Put oversight tools, clips of advice and self-assessment questions on a player's dashboard and device login page."
Transparency on deposits and payouts is key for players when operators face scrutiny. A player can ask the operator:
- What happens to their money if the operator refuses to pay out?
- If the operator uses third-party payment processors, which ones, and how are they regulated?
- If the operator uses a white label operator, which, and who is its regulator?
These precautions are more important than ever. Resistors of due diligence and regulatory oversight are under global pressure.
Poland's national competition watchdog UOKiK this month began a probe into gambling contract terms and digital platform features. The probe, distinct from the Regulatory Office of Audiovisual and Digital Media (KAJMK) gambling licence compliance checks, could deliver fines up to 10% of a business' turnover.
Curaçao added new licence generation rules last year, tripling licenses to 644 under an updated framework. The uptake was dramatic: a similar investigation in 2021 found only 208 online casino operators in Curaçao.
Source-of-funds checks are still poor. An Irish investigation this year found 20 Soft2Bet-linked gambling sites without a local licence: the sites were targeting Irish players and accepting bets over a £150 threshold without security checks.
But tracking regulatory actions creates its own dangers. Rebates and stakes betting on licence checks have become a niche. The risk, says gambling harm researcher Hannah Ahmad, is that unlicenced operators monetize uncertainty through marketing. It's ticking pressure on regulators to pick a side, speed up licence checks, name safe sites and name unsafe sites.