Everything you need to know about new land-based casino reforms in the UK
The UK government has introduced a major set of draft rules that could significantly change how land-based casinos operate. The new regulations from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, cover things like how many gaming machines casinos can have, how much floor space they need, and the rules they have to follow to stay in business.
The new rules, called the Casinos (Gaming Machines and Mandatory Conditions) Regulations 2025, were submitted to Parliament for approval under the Gambling Act 2005 and are expected to take effect on July 22, 2025.
— RPC UK (@RPC_Gov_UK) May 20, 2025
Why are UK land-based casino laws changing?The update is being seen as the biggest shake-up to land-based casino regulations in the UK since the original Gambling Act came into play in 2005. The main goal is to bring the rules up to date, give casino operators more flexibility, and make sure older casinos that were converted from other uses are treated more like newer, purpose-built ones.
How are the reforms going to affect casinos in the UK?One of the changes is in Regulation 3, which adjusts section 172 of the Gambling Act 2005. It increases the number of gaming machines allowed per gaming table in small casinos from two to five. However, the total number of gaming machines allowed is still capped at 80.
As the explanatory note points out:
“For every gaming table used in the casino, the effect of the amendment is to increase from two to five the number of gaming machines that may also be made available for use.”
Regulation 4 brings some quantifiable changes to how much space casinos need for table gaming. It updates the 2007 Mandatory and Default Conditions Regulations. For small casinos, the minimum required size of the table gaming area is being cut in half, dropping from 500 square meters to 250 square meters.
Converted casinos
All converted casinos will now have to follow tighter rules. Credit: Flickr, licensed under CC BY 2.0
For converted casinos that start using the new gaming entitlements, now called “extended converted casino premises,” the rules are a bit more specific. They’ll need to keep their table gaming area at a minimum size that’s either 250 square meters or half the total gambling area, whichever is smaller.
They must also provide a non-gambling area meeting the same sizing rules, with specific stipulations that “facilities for gambling must not be provided in the non-gambling area,” and “each separate area… must contain recreational facilities.”
The draft legislation also clears up the different types of converted casinos by introducing more specific terms. “Extended converted casino premises” refers to casinos that are taking advantage of the enhanced gaming entitlements allowed under the updated 2006 Transitional Provisions Order.
Then there are “larger converted casino premises,” which are casinos with gambling areas of at least 200 square meters, but that aren’t using the extended entitlements. All converted casinos will now have to follow tighter rules and clearer definitions.
For example, extended or larger converted casinos must keep their gambling areas under 1,500 square meters, unless their floor space was already that big or bigger as of May 12, 2025, and hasn’t changed since.
For the first time, all converted casinos will be officially allowed to offer betting facilities, but under clearly defined conditions. Paragraph 5 of the amendments sets out a tiered system for how many betting machine positions are allowed, based on the size of the gambling area.
That means a casino with 500 square meters or more of gambling space can have up to 40 betting positions. Smaller casinos, with less than 280 square meters, will be limited to 16.
When will the UK land-based casino reforms take place?To make sure these changes stay relevant and effective, Regulation 5 requires a regular review process. The first review has to be completed and reported by July 2030, five years after the regulations go into effect.
After that, reviews must happen at least once every five years. Each review will need to look at whether the goals of the regulations are being met, if the rules are still appropriate, and if there are less restrictive ways to achieve the same results.
The changes are aimed at helping older land-based casino venues in the UK, especially those operating under converted licenses, catch up with the standards of newer ones.
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