There has already been stricter regulation introduced this year on the UK online gambling industry. More is on its way and it’s a situation that is being seen in several other European countries. What does the future hold and how will it affect those who gamble online?
This year has already seen action taken against online slot games. They are hugely popular with gamblers and produce a great deal of revenue for the UKs’ leading online casino operators. For a long time though, those seeking reform of the gambling industry have expressed their concerns over how addictive they can be.
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That’s why 2025 has seen maximum stakes introduced for online slot games. Emphasis has been put on protecting younger players. Those aged between 18 and 24 can only stake a maximum of £2 per spin. For older players, the maximum stake is now £5 a game.
A new mandatory levy has also been introduced this year. This has the aim of raising £100 million a year from UK gambling companies. The funds raised will be used to help fund research into and the treatment of those suffering gambling harm.
What does the future hold for the UK gambling industry? The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Gambling Reform is looking for regulation of the industry to become even more stricter.
They have launched a new inquiry on the subject and this runs until September 12. Their desire is to gather evidence that will support their calls for more regulation to be placed on the gambling industry.
Areas that will be examined include financial risk checks. A major question that is continually being asked about gamblers is can they afford the amounts being deposited, wagered and lost? The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has been increasing the number of checks but trying to make them as “frictionless” as possible.
Still though, they remain unpopular with players, especially ones who do not feel they have a problem with the way they gamble.
Another area of discussion is the introduction of an industry ombudsman. The work of the UKGC and other relevant bodies will also be examined. How gambling is advertised will also be looked at by the inquiry.
The APPG is led by former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP. While being supportive of the 2023 White Paper that looked into gambling reform paper, he feels more needs to be done to protect gamblers.
Labour MP Alex Ballinger is the vice chair of the APPG. He believes the inquiry will help decide if a new Gambling Act (the first since 2005) is needed. His view is that “stronger and more effective” regulation is needed.
Around Europe there are concerns over the gambling industry. One worry the licensed online sites have is that regulation is simply driving players to unlicensed and unregulated companies. That’s bad news for players who do use such sites as the level of customer support is far lower than with licensed sites.
More players leaving the licensed sites also of course hits their revenue figures and that means less tax revenue being received by treasuries. There have been worries about the growth of the unlicensed black market in the Netherlands. Their gambling industry has had new spending caps introduced and that has not delighted Dutch gamblers.
Such is the dislike of regulation in the Netherlands unregulated sites have been matching the revenue figures achieved by licensed sites. In the UK, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) claim that each year £2.7 billion is being wagered on the black market.
In Romania, a ban on celebrities appearing in gambling advertisements will come into force in October. Only street billboards will be able to display advertising that includes celebrity endorsements.
A new Sports Decree is being planned in Italy with the desire to modernise sport in the country. One of the plans include reversing the ban on gambling companies sponsoring sport. The Decree will look to “balance social safeguards” with the “financial sustainability of elite sport” in Italy.
Since 2018 there has beena ban on gambling advertising and sports sponsorships. The belief is that this has significantly affected the funding of Italian sports. Talks have been held between the government and Italian sports federations, clubs and broadcasters.
While licensed gambling operators would again be able to sponsor sports clubs and events, it would only be under strict conditions. This could include a 1% levy on all sponsorship revenues.
The level of gambling sponsorship in the UK has long been discussed. Several English Premier League clubs have front-of-shirt sponsorship. From the start of the 2026-27 season, there will not be any front-of-shirt advertising but clubs have many other ways of earning revenue from gambling companies. The English Football League continues to be sponsored by SkyBet.
Therefore, you can see that calls for stricter regulation of the gambling industry are continuing. There are also fears by the industry that tax rises are on their way. All of this could affect online gambling company revenues in the future.
