The UK government has confirmed plans to increase the licensing fees for gambling operators from 15% to 25%. The new rates will come into effect on October 1, 2026.
The revised fees will apply not only to the annual licenses of operators but also to personal, additional, and some other types of licenses. However, fees for charitable lotteries will remain unchanged, and for certain betting licenses, a new model of fee calculation based on Gross Gaming Yield (GGY) will be introduced.
The additional revenue from the fees will be allocated to fund the operations of the UK Gambling Commission.
This decision has already been criticized by many gambling companies, who noted that the revised rates would increase their expenses. However, the authorities disagree with them — as the government believes, only a small portion of operators' money is spent on licensing fees, so nothing critical will happen.