Online Gaming & Betting Licence 

Yes, all remote gambling in Great Britain has been regulated under the Gambling Act 2005 since 2014 However, the dividing line between what constitutes gambling and what does not continue to narrow.

The Gambling Act 2005 also established the Gambling Commission. This Commission regulates commercial gambling in Great Britain along with the National Lottery.

The Gambling Commission processes applications and issues licences to businesses who wish to offer facilities for gambling.

Remote gambling has provided operators in the betting and gaming industry with opportunities to reach a larger, international customer base and represents a major proportion of the total worldwide gambling market.

To provide online gambling facilities in Great Britain, it’s necessary to obtain a Remote Operating Licence from the Gambling Commission. Granted by sector, these licences can be obtained for businesses wanting to offer casino games (including slots and poker), bingo, betting, and lottery products. With applicants wanting to offer gambling in more than one of these sectors able to obtain a single combined licence covering all activities.

Whether you intend to offer business to consumer (B2C) facilities or business to business (B2B facilities, an operating licence is required. Furthermore, companies supplying online games or other remote gambling software to Commission licensed operators must themselves be licensed by the Gambling Commission. If a remote operating licence applicant is to develop its own gambling software, then it must submit the gambling software application at the same time.

Yes, you’ll need Personal Management Licences (PMLs) for staff with senior management responsibility. This includes those individuals responsible (as head of the function) for strategy and delivery of gambling, financial planning and budgeting, regulatory compliance, marketing, and commercial development and gambling related IT and Security.

The cost of obtaining a licence will vary depending on what licences you require, the nature of the gambling product, the complexity of the ownership structure and the projected revenues – the licence application fees are broken down into bands of projected gross gambling yield.

We can help you with all areas of law and services relating to the establishment of a remote gambling business, including:

• Acting as the UK correspondence address for the Gambling Commission if you are based overseas
• Liaising with the Commission to make your application process as smooth as possible
• Regulatory Panel hearings where an application is referred to the Panel for determination
• Restructuring of gambling businesses
• Gambling Commission information requests
• Policies, procedures and controls and on-going compliance
• Change of Corporate Control applications
• Transaction due diligence
• Investor due diligence
• Acquisitions and disposals.