The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has notified gambling licences and stakeholders of two upcoming deadlines related to its regulatory evaluation
The first deadline concerns the closure of the Commission’s consultation on updating the Destination of Regulatory Settlements, scheduled for 2 April.
The consultation forms part of the regulator’s adjustments following the introduction of the statutory levy, implemented in April 2025 as a principal measure of Gambling Review’s White Paper, High Stakes: Gambling Reform for the Digital Age.
A review of current arrangements has been deemed necessary as financial penalties imposed by the UKGC are paid into the UK’s Consolidated Fund. However, regulatory settlements and payments agreed in lieu of formal penalties have historically followed a separate pathway, often directed towards research, prevention and treatment (RPT) initiatives outside central government structures.
This model has now been rendered obsolete following the winddown of GambleAware and the transition to a statutory levy system. The levy centralises RPT funding under commissioned public bodies, introducing stricter oversight, coordination and evaluation of how funds are allocated.
In response, the UKGC has proposed revising its Statement of Principles for Determining Financial Penalties to ensure that regulatory settlements are aligned with financial penalties.
The Commission is proposing that all future regulatory settlements be paid directly into the Consolidated Fund, ensuring consistency, speed, and government oversight of enforcement proceeds. The move is designed to eliminate the risk of parallel funding systems developing alongside the statutory levy.
Alongside this consultation, the UKGC has also highlighted progress on the evaluation of the Gambling Act Review (GAR). The assessment is being conducted by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), reporting to DCMS.
Operators have been invited to participate in an online survey and follow-up interviews to provide feedback on the real-world implementation of GAR reforms.
Key areas under review include financial vulnerability checks, online slots stake limits, and socially responsible incentives. The survey will close on 10 April, with the Commission encouraging broad participation to help shape future regulatory refinements.
Taken together, the two deadlines represent an important checkpoint for UK gambling policy. The consultation on regulatory settlements signals the final steps in aligning enforcement mechanisms with the statutory levy, while the GAR evaluation seeks to assess the operational impact of one of the most comprehensive reform packages in the sector’s modern history.
For the industry, April marks more than a procedural milestone – it reflects a transition from implementation to scrutiny, as regulators and government begin to test how effectively the UK’s new gambling framework is functioning in practice.
