SBC Summit Europe: The state of Great Britain’s Gaming Market

Inspiration can be found in every walk of life.

Music has The Beatles. Literature has Charles Dickens. Science has Annie Easley.

For many working in the regulated online gaming industry, Great Britain has long been an important reference point.

Passed in 2005 and coming fully into force in September 2007, the Gambling Act established a regulatory framework that explicitly covered remote gambling, including online gambling,  well before smartphones and app-based services transformed how consumers interact with the digital world.

But almost two decades later, the British model is undergoing another significant period of change. 

With the debut edition of SBC Summit Europe taking place from 19–21 April 2027 at the RAI Amsterdam, we thought it was the perfect time to break down one of Europe’s most established online gambling landscapes.

Great Britain’s Market at a Glance

Current regulatory framework established: 2007
Regulator: Gambling Commission (UKGC) (England, Scotland and Wales)
Online GGY (Gross Gaming Yield): £8.3bn

Active accounts: 25.7 million 25.7 million at the end of the latest reporting quarter (not unique players)

Gambling duties: Remote gaming: 40% | Remote betting: 15% currently, rising to 25% from April 2027 (excluding UK horse racing and certain other bets)
Largest online gaming vertical: Online casino (£5.7bn GGY) 

Meet the Regulator: The Gambling Commission

Established under the Gambling Act 2005, the UKGC regulates commercial gambling across Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales, not Northern Ireland), as well as operators based overseas that provide services to British consumers. 

As well as controlling the licensing system for operators, the UKGC monitors compliance, enforces disciplinary actions and is responsible for the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP). 

Heading into 2027, the UKGC’s 2026-27 Business Plan outlines initiatives to improve the use of data and analytics, strengthen compliance processes and take a more proactive approach to regulatory intervention.

Additionally, the Commission has secured £26 million in additional government funding over three years to scale up its enforcement and disruption of illegal gambling, including greater use of automation, intelligence and partnership working. 

Licensing Structure: How Great Britain’s Online Gambling Landscape Works

For operators looking to enter the British market, the licence they need depends on the type of gambling they want to offer.

From 1 October 2026, the UKGC introduced a new licensing fee structure based on both annual Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) and the specific activity. 

For a remote casino licence, for example, application fees begin at £8,185 for operators generating less than £250,000 in annual GGY. From there, they rise progressively across nine revenue bands, reaching £165,069 for businesses generating £1.6 billion or more.

Annual fees follow the same principle, but the difference between smaller and larger operators is even more pronounced. A remote casino operator generating less than £250,000 pays £7,000 per year, while an operator with GGY of £1.6 billion or more pays £1,453,949, plus a further £272,324 for every complete £200 million of GGY above £1.6 billion.

Other remote activities operate under similar tiered structures. Starting application fees for operators generating less than £250,000 in GGY include:

• Remote casino (slots, roulette, blackjack & poker): from £8,185 application fee
• Remote bingo: from £8,185
• Remote general betting (virtual events): from £8,185
• Remote general betting (real events): from £6,535
• Remote betting intermediary: from £6,479

Casino, bingo and virtual-event betting can also be combined at a discounted rate, with a second activity adding £2,100 and all three adding £4,200 to the application fee. Real-event betting sits outside this arrangement.

Where Does the Money Come From? 

From April 2025 to March 2026, Great Britain’s online gambling sector, consisting of casino, betting and bingo, generated £8.3 billion in GGY, underlining the sheer scale of Britain’s online gambling sector.

So, with billions in GGY and an estimated 25.7 million active accounts, where is the revenue coming from? 

Let’s break it down.

• Online casino dominated the sector, generating £5.7 billion in GGY, £4.8 billion of which came from online slots. Overall, casino accounted for approximately 69% of the market.
• Remote betting, including both virtual and real-life events, generated £2.4 billion in GGY, accounting for approximately 29% of the market. Football unsurprisingly led the sports verticals at £1.2 billion, followed by horse racing at £769.3 million.
• Online bingo accounted for the remaining 1.8% of the market, generating £147.8 million in GGY.

Online casino isn’t just the biggest piece of the pie, either. The Gambling Commission reported that its GGY increased by £736 million in 2025/26, making it a major driver of growth across the wider British gambling market.

The Major Players in British Gaming

As one of Europe’s most established and mature gambling markets, Britain is home to some of the biggest and most recognisable names in the industry, alongside a growing group of newer digital challengers.

• bet365 
• Flutter Entertainment (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair, PokerStars and Tombola) 
• Entain (Ladbrokes, Coral, Gala Bingo, Foxy Bingo and PartyCasino) 
• Evoke (William Hill and 888) 
• Rank Group (Mecca Bingo and Grosvenor Casinos) 
• Betfred
• Midnite
• BetMGM UK

What is particularly notable about the British market is the dominance of operator groups. 

For example, Flutter Entertainment alone operates some of Britain’s most successful and recognisable brands across almost every major vertical: Sky Bet and Paddy Power in sports betting, Betfair across sportsbook and exchange betting, PokerStars in poker and casino, and Tombola in bingo.

In other words, the British market is highly diverse at brand level, but considerably more concentrated at group level.

The Rules Defining Great Britain’s Market

While it would be impossible to cover every rule and restriction across a market as complex and mature as Great Britain, these are some of the most important requirements shaping the sector ahead of 2027.

• Taxation: Different online verticals face different gambling duties. Online casinos are subject to Remote Gaming Duty (RGD), which increased from 21% to 40% in April 2026. From April 2027, most online sports betting will be subject to 25% General Betting Duty, while remote bets on UK horse racing remain at 15%.
  
• Financial risk & customer interaction: Operators must monitor indications of gambling harm and intervene where necessary. The UKGC has also confirmed the staged introduction of Financial Risk Assessments for high-spending customers who may be experiencing financial difficulties.

• Self-exclusion: Licensed remote operators must participate in GAMSTOP, allowing consumers to self-exclude across websites and apps.

• Advertising & marketing: Gambling ads cannot strongly appeal to under-18s, while remote operators must obtain separate customer consent for direct marketing by product and channel, including betting, casino and bingo.

• Bonuses and promotions: Since January 2026, wagering requirements attached to bonuses have been capped at 10x, while operators are also prohibited from offering mixed-product promotions.

• KYC & AML: Operators must verify customers’ age and identity before they gamble, while licensed businesses are also subject to anti-money-laundering requirements. Casino operators face specific requirements around risk-based customer due diligence, ongoing monitoring and, where necessary, source-of-funds checks.

The Big Talking Points in British Gambling

So, we know how the sector works, who the major players are and the rules they have to follow. But what does all of this actually mean for operators heading into 2027?

Here are three of the biggest questions facing the British gambling industry.

Is the market becoming too expensive? 

Operating in Great Britain is becoming more expensive. Higher gambling duties and licensing fees come alongside compliance costs, safer gambling investment, marketing and continued product development.

In 2027, operators face a big question. How do you protect margins while continuing to invest, innovate and remain compliant? 

When does player protection become player friction?

Financial Risk Assessments, customer interaction requirements, KYC, AML and source-of-funds checks all have an important role to play in protecting customers as well as the regulated sector. But they can also introduce additional steps into the player journey, particularly around deposits and withdrawals.

Can operators continue strengthening player protection without introducing unnecessary friction into the overall experience?

How do you acquire the next player?

Advertising requirements, tighter direct-marketing rules and restrictions around bonuses and promotions all shape how operators can attract customers. 

At the same time, established multi-brand groups are competing against newer digital challengers for the same audience. In an already mature market, where does the next player come from, and what will it cost to acquire? 

How SBC Summit Europe Will Tackle the British Gambling Market

Taxation, player acquisition and the balance between protection and player experience are questions the industry will continue grappling with throughout 2027.

And when SBC Summit Europe arrives at the RAI Amsterdam from 19–21 April, many of those conversations will take place on stage.

Sessions tackling the issues facing British operators include:

• UK: The New Economics of the UK Gambling Market: tax, regulation, player protection and maintaining profitability
• The Cost of Compliance: Can Europe Still Operate at Scale?
• The Acquisition Reset: Where Will the Next Player Come From?
• Payment Blocked: When Compliance Kills the Deposit
• Beyond Football: Where Will the Next Betting Boom Come From?

The British Market in 2027

Almost two decades after the Gambling Act came fully into force, Great Britain remains one of Europe’s most established and significant online gambling landscapes.

But maturity doesn’t mean standing still.

Higher taxes, evolving player protections and changing approaches to acquisition are forcing operators to reconsider what it takes to compete successfully in Britain.

And with more than £8 billion in annual online GGY at stake, how operators respond will make Great Britain one of the most interesting gambling markets to watch in 2027.