The Gambling Commission will tighten oversight of land-based gaming machines across Great Britain from July 29, 2026. New Licence Condition 18.1.1 requires casinos, bingo halls, betting shops, adult gaming centres and family entertainment centres to immediately withdraw any machine identified as non-compliant through written regulatory notification.
The order may be issued when a machine’s manufacture, supply, installation, adaptation, maintenance or repair was not performed under a valid gaming machine technical operating licence, or when the equipment breaches the Gaming Machine Technical Standards —GMTS—. This is not a blanket removal; the obligation begins when the Commission identifies a specific machine by name, manufacturer, category and premises.
Casinos directly exposed include Bally’s Casino Newcastle, which opened at The Gate in March 2026, and London’s Hippodrome Casino, offering slots and more than 100 electronic gaming terminals. Grosvenor Casinos, owned by Rank Group, must apply the rule across venues including London Victoria, The Rialto, Barracuda Casino and Leicester Square. The same requirement covers Genting properties such as Resorts World Birmingham, Genting Casino Westcliff and Genting Club Stratford.
If only one title within a multigame terminal is defective, the Commission may require that game to be disabled without removing the entire cabinet. Ignoring an order becomes a licence breach and may trigger financial penalties or a review under Section 116 of the Gambling Act 2005. The power derives from Sections 75, 86(2) and 96.
The reform originated in the April 2023 White Paper High Stakes; Gambling Reform for the Digital Age. Consultation opened on January 29, 2025, closed on June 3, and drew responses from 45 organisations. Bacta and the Betting and Gaming Council participated alongside operators including Bally’s, Entain, Genting, Grosvenor, Hippodrome, Mecca Bingo, Merkur and Novomatic. The final decision was published on January 29, 2026.
Pending proposals would consolidate 12 technical standards, retain the £2 B2 stake limit, impose 2.5-second game cycles, display net position and session time, introduce mandatory time and spending limits, and prohibit celebrating prizes no higher than the stake or features that accelerate results. These measures do not automatically begin on July 29.
Acting CEO Sarah Gardner leads the Commission, while Charles Counsell OBE is interim chair. Great Britain has 191,325 licensed machines, which generated £2.6 billion during 2024–2025 within a £16.8 billion gambling market.
