It’s that time of year when we need to look forward to what the next 12 months will bring. When it comes to the UK’s online casino industry, 2026 looks to be one in which companies will need to deal with the many changes that have taken place and are yet to happen.

There have long been calls to reform the UK’s gambling industry, particularly the online sector. 2025 has seen many changes take place that have placed stricter regulation on the industry. Earlier this year, the government announced a new mandatory levy aimed at raising £100 million a year. The monies received will go towards researching and funding treatment of gambling harm.

March and April 2025 saw the introduction of maximum stake limits for online slot games. Those aged 18-24 cannot stake more than £2 on a single spin and it’s £5 for older players. How have these changes affected the UK’s online casino industry

Online total Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) for July to September 2025 was £1.42 billion. Despite the changes that have been made, that was still an 8% increase on the same period in 2024. The number of bets and spins was up 3% and slots GGY rose by 9% to £747 million despite the new maximum stake limits. There was a 4% increase in the number of spins, though the average number of monthly active accounts fell by 14% compared to the same period last year.

It appears therefore that the new maximum stake limits have not had an adverse affect on online slots. That’s good news for the online industry but there is stricter regulation on its way that will potentially cause problems.

New bonus rules come into force in December. These will see a new wagering requirement cap of 10x being put into force. The terms and conditions that are attached to bonuses will also need to be made clearer to customers.

Bonuses are so important for online casinos as they strive to attract new customers and keep the ones that they already have. Companies and new casino apps in the UK as per agamble.com that may want to enter the UK market will want to use the offering of bonuses as an important part of their bid to acquire a good market share. Seeing restrictions based on them may well make that task a more difficult one.

Tax is another factor that will cause problems in 2026 and beyond. The Autumn Budget that took place on November 26 did not contain good news for the UK’s online casino companies. The remote gambling duty that online sites need to pay is to increase from 21% to 40% from April 2026.

With the Labour government needing to raise additional funds, an increase in the taxation rate for online sites had been forecasted. Dame Meg Hillier is the Chair of the Treasury Select Committee and she has welcomed the changes. Her view and also that of the Committee is that “the tax rate for remote betting, including highly addictive casino games, should reflect the harm it inflicts.”

The gambling industry accepts that it is important to take measures against the harm that some customers suffer and recently the industry held its Safer Gambling Week which was a great success. The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) have criticised the tax increases that have been announced, while welcoming the decision not to include horse racing.

Their CEO is Grainne Hurst and she said the increased tax rates “make them among the highest in the world, and are a devastating hammer blow” to the industry. Those views may well be shared by companies who had been considering entering the UK market. The 40% duty rate will be higher than that seen in other countries such as the Netherlands who have also been imposing stricter regulations on their gambling industry.

Hurst added that the increases  “make them among the highest in the world, and are a devastating hammer blow to tens of thousands of people working in the industry across the UK, and millions of customers who enjoy a bet.”  She added that the “excessive online tax increases will undermine jobs, investment and growth across the UK.” 

It will also add to the problem of the unlicensed black market that has been growing in the UK. They do not pay tax or are affected by the new stricter regulations. Hurst believes the tax rises are “a massive win for the incredibly harmful, unsafe, unregulated gambling black market.”

The battle against the black market will continue in 2026. Regulators in several countries, including the UK, say they will be looking to take tougher action against the unlicensed operators.

As for the licensed sites in the UK, they will have to deal with the financial implications of the stricter regulation and tax increases. More emphasis may be placed on overseas markets and they will be looking to cut costs. Those looking to enter the UK market may well be wary of doing so considering the problems that now exist.