UK Gambling Commission gaming machine standards 2026 exclude existing Category B machines

The UK Gambling Commission published its final response to the gaming machine standards consultation on 30 September 2026, confirming a revised compliance framework for land-based machines. Existing machines are excluded from the new technical requirements, a concession the regulator ties to industry concerns about cost.

The consultation drew 1,065 responses, SBC News reports. It covered the Gaming Machine Technical Standards, the Gaming Machine Testing Strategy and the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice. AGIMEG reports the exercise began in January 2025 and puts the response count at more than 1,000.

What changes for new Category B machines

From 30 June 2027, new Category B machines must give players easier access to gambling management tools and to sessional information: how long they have been playing and their net position, shown in real time. Licensees across all sectors will receive the same data, which the Commission says will help them meet regulatory obligations such as interacting with customers who show signs of gambling harm, according to GamblingNews.

Game design is covered too. Celebratory effects may only accompany an award larger than the stake, and options that let a player shorten the time until a wager's result is known are banned, which takes in turbo spin, quick spin and slam stop. The affected machines are Category B2 (fixed-odds betting terminals), B3 and B4 fruit and slot-style machines, and B1 casino machines.

The carve-out for installed machines

The exemption applies to machines already in place and covers the limit-setting and sessional information display requirements. AGIMEG, citing the Commission's explanation, reports the reason as the complex technical changes involved and the cost to businesses, particularly small operators and social clubs. On display, the Commission settled on a mixed approach that combines parts of its original proposal with a solution put forward by the industry. It also adopted net position as the financial measure, on the grounds that consumers understand it better.

AGIMEG also reports the Commission's view that gaming machines hold a significant share of the British market, are played by adults and by minors, and generate more than a fifth of gross gambling revenue, lotteries excluded.

Helen Rhodes, the Commission's director of major policy projects and evaluation, said the changes were discussed with industry stakeholders and amended where concerns were legitimate and evidenced. "We are confident that the consultation has led to a package of changes where the benefits to consumers are proportionate to the costs of implementation and that the staged timeline for implementation is reasonable and achievable," she said.

Session limits, breaks and staff alerts

The definition of a session has been rewritten to reflect time spent in actual play rather than depositing, menu interaction or other machine mechanics. Graham Burgin, a senior policy manager at the Commission, said this avoids break triggers firing before a session has started, SBC News reports.

Breaks become graduated. The 30-second default is scrapped at the first and second session limits: the first threshold now triggers a 10-second break, the second a 20-second break, and the default returns after that. Staff alerts about a customer's play will be sent only once the second session time limit is reached, which the Commission expects to direct staff resources towards higher-risk interactions. Once a break starts, players can hide the elapsed time and net position on screen; AGIMEG reports the option becomes available after at least 10 seconds of break.

Dates operators need to work to

Implementation runs in three stages. The revised session definition takes effect on 30 March 2027. Most of the remaining amendments follow on 30 June 2027. Staff alerts are last, on 3 October 2028. The Commission said the longer timeline there is "fair and proportionate in recognition of the technical challenges and process changes associated with delivering an appropriate solution".

Burgin described that deadline as fixed, according to AGIMEG, and urged operators to use the technology where it already exists and adopt it as early as possible where it does not. The Commission has asked everyone involved to begin planning for compliance now.