Britain’s gambling regulator says bingo venues and other land-based operators will face stricter oversight as officials move to remove non-compliant gaming machines more quickly and expand action against illegal betting businesses.
Speaking at the Bingo Association’s annual meeting, acting Gambling Commission chief executive Sarah Gardner said the regulator wanted closer cooperation with compliant operators while also increasing enforcement powers across the sector.
“We know what we can achieve through our powers, but we know that we can achieve a whole lot more for our objectives by working with those in industry who are willing to work with us,” Gardner said in the speech.
The social nature of bingo is clearly identified as being a significant draw for in person bingo – something that whilst may make sense to everyone in this room – is now part of our official statistics. Working together, rather than retreating to the entrenchments, means we can build a shared understanding instead of creating mistrust. We can look to make progress instead of holding each other back.
The commission confirmed that new rules will take effect from July 29, 2026. Under the changes, non-remote gambling businesses must immediately take machines out of use if the regulator determines they were manufactured, supplied, installed, repaired or modified without the required technical operating licence.
Venues will also have to remove machines that fail to satisfy the association’s technical standards. Gardner said the changes are intended to speed up the process of removing unsuitable machines from gambling premises and improve consumer protections.
Bingo and gambling industry faces financial pressure
The tougher compliance measures arrive as gambling operators continue watching possible tax changes following recent budget discussions. Industry groups have warned that higher gambling duties could place additional strain on retail operators already dealing with rising operating costs and tighter regulation.
The commission also plans to increase investigations into illegal gambling activity after receiving £26 million ($35 million) in government funding spread across the next three years. Officials said the additional money would support stronger enforcement operations and better intelligence work targeting unlicensed gambling businesses.
Speaking about cooperation with the sector, Gardner said: “So as long as operators are committed to compliance at the first opportunity, we can and we will work with you, all to the benefit of consumers who get safer, fairer and crime free gambling as a result.”
The speech included updated figures showing Britain’s bingo sector generated £816 million ($1.1 million) in gross gambling yield during 2024/25, representing roughly 5% of the wider gambling market’s £16.8 billion ($22.8 billion) total. According to the regulator, non-remote bingo accounted for £650 million ($880 million), while online bingo contributed £166 million ($225 million).
Gardner also responded to concerns surrounding participation estimates contained in the Gambling Survey for Great Britain after discrepancies emerged between survey results and admissions data collected by the Bingo Association.
“Crucially though, with the data from the new question, we have found the GSGB estimates of those people playing bingo in traditional bingo clubs like the ones many of you run – 1.2 per cent – is much more closely aligned with the Bingo Association’s own estimates calculated from admissions data into those premises, which is 1 per cent,” Gardner said.
The Commission’s latest business plan also highlights continuing work linked to the Gambling Act Review, expanded use of industry data and closer engagement with operators on compliance standards.
Featured image: Canva
The post UK gambling regulator targets illegal betting and noncompliant machines with new bingo rules appeared first on ReadWrite.
