Fewer inspections, more risks — UKGC warning
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1 Dec 2025 •
Reading time: 3 minutes While gambling remains firmly rooted in the daily lives of Britons, a worrying decline in local inspections is undermining the regulation of the land-based sector. Despite the scale of the industry and the risks it entails, many local authorities are neglecting their supervisory obligations.
Warning from the British regulator
For several years, the gambling market in the United Kingdom has been oscillating between constant adult participation and a significant decline in on-the-ground inspections. According to the latest figures published in November 2025 by the Gambling Commission (UKGC), the trend is worrying: a third of local authorities did not carry out any inspections of land-based casinos last year — a strong warning sign about the country’s ability to effectively regulate its sector.
This observation, made by Ian Angus, Director of Policy at the UKGC, during a conference for local authorities, casts a shadow over what many believed to be a model of robust regulation.
The UKGC relies on the annual Gambling Survey for Great Britain, which polls nearly 20,000 adults each year. According to this data, gambling remains deeply ingrained in people’s habits: 48% of participants said they had gambled at least once in the past four weeks. While online gambling continues to outpace in-person gambling — 38% versus 29% — the gap narrows when national lottery figures, now largely dominant in usage, are removed. Excluding the lottery, 16% of respondents reported having gambled online, compared to 18% in person.
Despite these figures, the UKGC notes a worrying paradox: while the sector remains active and around 8,000 land-based establishments are registered (including nearly 5,825 betting shops and 1,451 adult gaming centres), the number of inspections is plummeting.
‘We won’t do the work for you’
In his speech, Ian Angus emphasised the separation of roles: the UKGC regulates at national level, while local authorities – municipal councils – are responsible for licensing and physical inspections of establishments.
“The Gambling Commission is not interested in calls from some to come onto your turf and start doing your job for you. We respect our relationship with you as co-regulators.”
But for this co-regulation model to work, local commitment must be consistent. However, according to 2024–2025 data, approximately 94% of authorities submitted their reports, but a third of them said they had not carried out any inspections during the period. Across the UK, only 2,208 inspections were carried out this year, compared to 3,203 in 2019–2020. This represents a decline of nearly 30%. Faced with this situation, the UKGC is not shying away from the issue: it is clearly calling on councils to mobilise licence-funded resources to ensure effective control.
Regulatory reform underway… but insufficient without oversight
The decline in inspections is not happening in a regulatory vacuum. The UKGC and the government — via the relevant ministry — have been working for months to modernise the regulation of slot machines, bingo halls and adult gaming centres. Among the options being considered are revisions to technical standards, the introduction of player protection tools (betting limits, time limits), stricter supervision of non-money slot-style machines, and a clearer distinction between bingo and gaming centres.
Consultations are ongoing, with over a thousand responses already submitted. The UKGC hopes to publish its final decisions in early 2026.
In this changing legislative landscape, recent case law could serve as an encouraging precedent. In 2023, Sheffield City Council refused to grant a licence for an adult gaming centre. The decision was upheld by the courts in 2025, demonstrating that councils can use current legislation to regulate the expansion of land-based casinos without waiting for new legislation.
A model on borrowed time, but still salvageable
The situation is serious, but not irreversible. The United Kingdom still has a robust regulatory framework, appropriate tools and a vigilant national regulator. What is lacking today is local implementation — an essential link in ensuring compliance, security and integrity in the land-based gambling sector.
To ensure that gambling remains a regulated, responsible leisure activity and does not pose a risk to individuals—and to society—it is crucial that local councils recognise the importance of their role and make a genuine commitment. The future of UK regulation depends on it.