UK Gambling Commission Unveils New Deposit Limit Rules Starting in 2025

The UK Gambling Commission has announced crucial updates to its gambling regulations, focusing on improving consumer protection through clearer and more accessible deposit limit tools. These changes, which follow the review of the Gambling Act and respond to growing concerns about player welfare, will be phased in over the next few years. By June 30, 2026, all licensed online gambling operators must fully comply with these new rules, aligning the UK with similar regulations already enforced in countries like the Netherlands and Germany.

A Phased Approach to Deposit Limit Tools

The most significant update, effective by mid-2026, mandates that all UK-based online operators must allow players to set specific "deposit limits." This term is defined strictly as the total funds deposited into a player's account during a selected period. To avoid any confusion, this "deposit limit" will be the only one allowed to carry this label on gambling websites, while other financial controls like loss or net deposit limits can still be offered but must be clearly distinguished.

Helen Rhodes, the Director of Major Policy Projects at the Gambling Commission, explained the goal of the new rules, stressing the importance of clarity for consumers while maintaining flexibility for operators. She stated, "These further changes will also bring consistency and clarity for those consumers choosing to set deposit limits, while still supporting gambling businesses to offer customer choice for different forms of limits."

Initial Rollout in October 2025

The first phase of this implementation will begin on October 31, 2025, when gambling operators must prompt users to set a financial limit before making their first deposit. These tools will need to be easily accessible and straightforward to adjust. Furthermore, operators will be required to:

• Remind players every six months to review their gambling activity and update their account information.
   
• Provide free-text fields to enable users to set personalized and meaningful financial caps.
   
• Ensure clear visibility of links for setting limits on the homepage and deposit pages.
   
• Act promptly on requests to lower financial limits.
   

The Gambling Commission hopes these adjustments will enhance the user's control over their gambling habits without restricting their freedom to gamble. According to Rhodes, "Our work will help empower consumers to have greater awareness and control over their gambling."

Clarity in Terminology and Technical Updates

These changes stem from a consultation in March 2025, which sought feedback on how deposit-related tools should be implemented. One area of concern raised by respondents was the idea of gross deposit limits, which track total deposits made within a set period without accounting for withdrawals. In response, the Commission clarified that only the gross deposits made will be referred to as "deposit limits."

While gross deposit limits will be required, operators are free to offer additional financial control tools such as net deposit limits (which subtract withdrawals) and loss limits (which track total stakes minus winnings). These additional limits must also be displayed prominently alongside the deposit limits.

The consultation also led to the retirement of the term "spend limits," which will now be replaced with the term "stake limits." As part of these changes, operators must now provide clear explanations about how each limit works. For example, if a player selects overlapping timeframes for different limits, the system will automatically apply the most restrictive setting.

Once a deposit limit is established, players cannot exceed it unless they opt out, but this action will be subject to a 24-hour cooling-off period before the limit is lifted. This rule is designed to ensure that players have ample time to reconsider before making changes to their deposit limits.

Source: UK Gambling Commission rolls out phased deposit limit rules, LCB.org, October 9, 2025.