UK Gambling Commission opens door to industry feedback

• The Gambling Commission has opened a formal process for operators and trade bodies to submit proposals addressing the administrative costs of complying with gambling regulation in Great Britain.
• The submission window runs until 25 September 2026, with an Operators Engagement Forum on 2 July providing the first discussion opportunity.
• Proposals relating to recently-implemented White Paper reforms still under evaluation are explicitly excluded from the exercise.

The Gambling Commission has launched a formal call for operators, licensing authorities and trade associations to submit proposals for reducing the administrative and compliance burdens associated with gambling regulation.

Opened on 26 June 2026, the initiative accepts submissions through a structured online form until 25 September 2026. It forms part of the regulator’s 2026–27 Business Plan commitments, which set out a specific intention to review industry proposals aimed at reducing regulatory administrative burdens without reducing consumer protections.

The Commission has indicated it may provide advice to government on legislative changes where these are relevant to proposals submitted.

What operators can propose

The Commission has defined a broad scope. Eligible proposals may cover requirements under the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP), remote technical standards, Statements of Principles, or the interaction between multiple regulatory obligations across a single business.

Submissions may flag requirements that have become outdated or duplicative as a result of subsequent regulatory or legislative changes.

Operators may also put forward ideas for enhancing the consumer experience, provided these remain reasonably consistent with the three licensing objectives of the Gambling Act 2005: keeping crime out of gambling, ensuring fair and open play, and protecting children and vulnerable people.

Administrative improvements are also in scope. The Commission said it welcomes suggestions on how it could more effectively structure or communicate its regulatory requirements and guidance. Operational processes, including the costs of administration associated with regulatory reporting, are specifically highlighted as areas where streamlining could be considered.

Where proposals extend into matters beyond the Commission’s remit, including primary legislation, the regulator confirmed it will pass these on to relevant bodies and, where appropriate, offer its own assessment of their viability.

Exclusions and scope

The exercise has defined limits. The Commission will not consider proposals linked to policy areas still awaiting a consultation outcome, or to reforms introduced recently and still under evaluation for their medium-to-longer-term impact on consumers and businesses.

That boundary covers the broad package of consumer protection measures delivered under the 2023 Gambling White Paper, High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age. The Commission stated that revisiting those changes would only be considered in response to strong evidence of adverse outcomes already being realised. The White Paper’s evaluation, which DCMS expects to report in 2026, remains under way.

Each submission must address a specific regulatory requirement and include the submitter’s rationale, anticipated benefits, implementation considerations, and an assessment of potential equalities impacts. Where an operator has multiple proposals, a separate form is required for each one.

The Commission will host a dedicated session on burden reduction at the Operators Engagement Forum on 2 July 2026, providing an early in-person opportunity for discussion. Decisions on which proposals to act on, and in what timeframe, will be subject to resource availability and business planning priorities.

Any changes to existing controls may require a separate formal consultation before taking effect.

Industry context

The call arrives at a difficult moment for Great Britain’s licensed operators. A remote gaming duty increase from 21% to 40% took effect in April 2026, following the Autumn 2025 Budget.

A separate proposed fee increase of up to 30% on operating licences is expected to follow in October 2026. Both changes have compounded compliance cost pressures already running high across the sector.

The Commission’s own enforcement activity has also intensified: it carried out 9,700 compliance actions in 2024–25, more than double the 4,200 recorded in 2023–24, and has pledged to maintain that level of oversight.

The Commission’s 2026–27 Business Plan acknowledged this pressure, noting it had worked alongside DCMS and the Department for Business and Trade to identify ways to reduce the administrative burden without weakening consumer protections.

For operators managing rising costs alongside continued implementation of White Paper reforms, the submission window offers a structured channel to argue for rationalisation of existing requirements. The Commission’s appetite to act will depend on the quality and evidence base of submissions received, and its assessment of any trade-offs against its consumer protection mandate.