UK Gambling News: Casino Closure, Machine Rules, Fee Rise

Rows of slot machines and stools in a dimly lit UK casino gaming floor

Genting closes Coventry as casinos brace for a Machine Games Duty rise

The biggest story of the week is a closure: Genting Casinos has shut its Coventry venue, which opened in 2012 and employed around 50 people, saying it was no longer commercially viable. The company pointed to years of higher employment costs, business rates, energy bills and compliance spending on top of rising gaming taxes, and warned that any increase in Machine Games Duty (MGD) would force more venues across the country to close.

The timing is deliberate. Chancellor John Healey delivers his first Budget on Wednesday 28 October, and the industry is lobbying hard against a proposal to double the standard rate of MGD, the tax on gaming machine profits, from 20% to 40%. Genting's UK chief executive, Paul Willcock, has said 13 of its 32 casinos would become unprofitable or unsustainable at that rate, putting more than 850 jobs at risk.

On 2 October the Betting and Gaming Council said £200 million of planned casino investment is in play, with £50 million at risk if the rate doubles. It named projects in Bristol (£8 million), Cardiff (£5 million) and Bournemouth (£5 million), plus Genting's redevelopment of the Trocadero in London. The trade body says casinos employ more than 10,000 people directly and paid £515 million in tax in 2025.

For online players the direct effect is limited: MGD is charged on machines in casinos, arcades and betting shops, while online casinos pay remote gaming duty, which already rose from 21% to 40% in April 2026. The indirect effect matters more. Operators such as Genting, Grosvenor and the big bookmakers run land-based and online brands side by side, and a heavier tax bill on one side of the business tends to show up as thinner promotions and tighter margins on the other.

Image: Gambling Commission

Betting shop campaign and a racing warning put numbers on the tax risk

The tax fight widened beyond casinos this week. On 28 September the Betting and Gaming Council launched Back Our Betting Shops, citing EY modelling that a 40% MGD rate could cost up to 16,000 jobs, close nearly 1,500 betting shops and 34 casinos, and still leave the Treasury £124 million worse off. Betfred's Fred Done has warned that 495 of his shops would close within a year.

A day later, Gambling Minister Vicky Foxcroft visited Grosvenor Casino Liverpool during the Labour Party conference, hosted by Grosvenor and the BGC. It was a chance for the industry to make its case in person to the minister responsible for gambling policy at DCMS, three weeks before the Budget.

On 5 October, analysis by Regulus Partners reported by iGaming Business added horse racing to the argument. It estimates that doubling MGD would put £92 million a year of racing income at risk, could close 4,000 betting shops within three years and would cut MGD receipts by 32% to about £155 million rather than raise them. The British Horseracing Authority urged the government to consider the knock-on effect on the sport.

These are industry figures produced to influence a tax decision, so treat them as the case for one side rather than a forecast. The Treasury has not confirmed what it will do, and the answer arrives on 28 October.

Image: Betting and Gaming Council

New gaming machine rules add limits, session data and calmer wins

The Gambling Commission confirmed on 30 September that new category B gaming machines, the kind found in casinos, bingo halls, arcades and betting shops, must meet tougher technical standards. Players must get easier access to gambling management tools and sessional information showing how long they have played and how much they have won or lost.

Two design changes stand out. Machines may no longer celebrate a win that is smaller than the stake, the trick of greeting a loss with lights and sound, and features that let players speed up how quickly a result is revealed are banned. Operators will also be able to use sessional data to spot customers showing signs of harm.

Existing machines are exempt, because the Commission judged retrofitting them too complex and costly. Rollout is staged, with most changes in force from June 2027. The timetable reported by iGaming Business has session definitions from 30 March 2027 and mandatory real-time alerts to venue staff from 3 October 2028.

Helen Rhodes, the Commission's Director of Major Policy Projects and Evaluation, said the measures will help to "empower consumers to understand and manage their gambling". Online players will recognise the approach: bans on celebrating returns at or below the stake and on turbo or slam-stop features already applied to online slots, and were extended to all online casino games on 17 January 2025. The Commission's announcement sets out the full list.

Gambling Commission licence fees rise 25% from 1 October

Most Gambling Commission licence fees went up by a headline 25% on 1 October, after secondary legislation came into force. DCMS confirmed the rise on 30 June after a consultation that ran from 27 January to 30 March 2026 and drew 47 responses.

The government rejected all three options it had consulted on (rises of 30%, 20%, or 20% plus 10% ringfenced for tackling illegal gambling) and settled on a flat 25% with no ringfence. Society lottery fees are frozen, and limited general betting licences move to a fee based on gross gambling yield. A personal management licence application now costs £463, up from £370, according to law firm Harris Hagan.

Fees had not been reviewed since 2021. The extra money funds more work on disrupting the illegal market, better data and core operations. For players, a better-funded regulator means faster enforcement against unlicensed sites; for small operators, it is one more fixed cost in a year of higher duty.

Regulator tells Allwyn to set the standard on player protection

Acting chief executive Sarah Gardner told the Allwyn Participant Protection Conference on 1 October that the Commission expects the National Lottery operator to lead the market on protecting players. Gardner credited Allwyn with a successful digital transformation and new protections built into its online and app play, while noting work with retail partners continues.

Gardner's figures show why online lottery play matters to anyone who also uses casino sites. The National Lottery raised £1.7 billion for good causes in the past 12 months; 31% of gambling participants played it in the previous four weeks, 11% bought scratchcards and 6% played online instant win games, which work much like simple online casino games.

"Trust forfeited is never easy to win back," she said. There were no new rules or stake limits announced, but the published speech makes clear the Commission will hold the lottery's digital products to the same standards as the rest of the regulated market.

Two men sentenced over an illegal Cardiff casino

Two men who ran an unlicensed casino on an industrial estate in Splott, Cardiff, received three-year prison sentences suspended for three years, the Gambling Commission announced on 5 October. Noor Rassam, 29, and Panayiotis Karayiannis, 30, were convicted of possessing and transferring criminal property under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

The venue ran from August 2022 to February 2024 with six poker tables, a prize wheel, seating and refreshments. Officers from Tarian Regional Organised Crime Unit, the Commission, HMRC and Cardiff Council's licensing team raided it in February 2024. A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing is set for 9 April 2027.

The investigating officer said vulnerable people lost large sums with none of the safeguards a licensed operator must provide. The same applies online: an unlicensed site offers no affordability checks, no GAMSTOP link and no route to an independent complaint. Before you deposit anywhere, check the operator's name and licence number on the Gambling Commission public register.

Winvia buys The Giveaway Guys in a £19.1 million prize draw deal

Winvia Entertainment, owner of BOTB, agreed on 28 September to buy The Online Giveaway Guys and its subsidiary Win Life Competitions for up to £19.1 million. It pays £15.47 million on completion and £3.63 million a year later, plus an earn-out linked to profits, with completion expected by the end of October.

The two brands made £30.3 million in gross revenue and an agreed adjusted EBITDA of £4.25 million in the year to June 2026. Winvia has already bought Click Competitions and Rev Comps, and iGaming Business reports that M&A spending in the UK prize draw sector has passed £220 million.

Prize draws and online competitions sit outside the Gambling Commission's licensing because they offer a free entry route, so they do not carry the protections of a licensed casino. Anyone who plays both should know the difference: a UKGC licence means deposit limits, self-exclusion and a complaints process, and a prize draw site does not have to offer them.

What to watch next week

The Budget countdown. Expect more closure warnings and job figures from casinos, bookmakers and racing before Chancellor John Healey's statement on 28 October. Any leak on Machine Games Duty, or on further changes to online gambling taxes, will move the story.

More Commission enforcement. The regulator's recent run of illegal gambling raids, prosecutions and licence suspensions suggests more cases to come. We will report any fines or licence actions against online casino operators.

Prize draw consolidation. Watch for Winvia completing The Giveaway Guys deal, which depends on key supplier agreements transferring before the end of October.

Gambling is for adults aged 18 and over. If it stops being fun, free confidential help is available from the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 and from GAMSTOP for online self-exclusion.

Sources

FAQs

What is Machine Games Duty and does it affect online casinos?

Machine Games Duty is a tax on the profits of gaming machines in casinos, arcades, bingo halls and betting shops, with a standard rate of 20%. The industry is fighting a proposal to double it to 40% in the 28 October Budget. Online casinos pay remote gaming duty instead, which already rose to 40% in April 2026, so any MGD change hits land-based venues directly and online brands only indirectly.

Why did Genting close its Coventry casino?

Genting said its Coventry casino, open since 2012 with around 50 staff, was no longer commercially viable. It blamed years of rising wage, business rate, energy and compliance costs on top of higher gaming taxes. It also warned that a doubling of Machine Games Duty would make 13 of its 32 UK casinos unprofitable or unsustainable, putting more than 850 jobs at risk.

What do the new UK gaming machine rules change?

New category B machines must give players easy access to gambling management tools and session information showing time played and money won or lost. They can no longer celebrate wins smaller than the stake, and features that speed up how fast results appear are banned. Existing machines are exempt, and most of the changes take effect from June 2027, with staged dates either side.

How much have Gambling Commission licence fees gone up?

Most Gambling Commission licence fees rose by a headline 25% on 1 October 2026, the first review since 2021. Society lottery fees were frozen and limited general betting licences moved to a fee based on gross gambling yield. A personal management licence application, for example, rose from £370 to £463. The extra money funds work against illegal gambling and core operations.

How can I tell if a casino is legal in the UK?

A legal UK casino holds a Gambling Commission licence, and you can confirm it by searching the operator's name or licence number on the Commission's public register. Licensed sites must offer deposit limits, GAMSTOP self-exclusion and a complaints route. Unlicensed venues, like the Cardiff casino whose operators were sentenced this week, offer none of those protections, and players have no recourse if things go wrong.

18+ only. Gambling can be addictive; set limits and never chase losses. Free, confidential support: BeGambleAware.

UK Gambling News This Week: Genting Shuts Coventry, New Machine Rules and a 25% Fee Rise