The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has reminded licences and wider stakeholders they have until 29 September to submit feedback and opinion on technical changes to the UK’s gambling rulebook.
Feedback is required in lieu of the Commission updating its Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) to bring it into line with the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCC) 2024, which replaces the outdated Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (CPUTR) 2008.
The DMCC will also sweep away the Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes Regulations (ADRR) 2015 in April 2026 – leaving the Commission with little choice but to modernise its framework.
The regulator insists the proposals won’t pile new duties on operators but are a clean-up job to ensure legal references match the UK’s new consumer regime, changes include:
- Licence Condition 7.1.1 would be rewritten to swap references to CPUTR for the DMCC on unfair commercial practices.
- Social Responsibility Code 5.1.9 would be updated to pull definitions of misleading actions and “invitations to purchase” directly from the DMCC.
- Footnote ‘a’ of Code 6.1.1 would be amended to cite DMCC accreditation rules in place of the ADRR 2015.
- Footnote ‘b’ of Code 6.1.1 – an obsolete list of approved dispute providers – would be scrapped altogether.
The Commission will also strip outdated references from its website and guidance notes, though that doesn’t require formal consultation.
A UKGC spokesperson said: “These changes simply ensure the LCCP aligns with the modernised legislative framework under the DMCC Act 2024. Feedback from stakeholders will help us confirm that all necessary adjustments have been identified and correctly applied.”
Improving consumer redress
The tweaks come against the backdrop of the Gambling Review, which promised a tougher hand on consumer redress – including a long-awaited Gambling Ombudsman to police complaints and disputes.
Fresh rules on marketing consent came into force on 1 May. Operators must now give customers explicit choice over the products and channels they want to hear about, and are barred from sending any promotional material without prior approval.
The White Paper also ordered the Commission to crack down on cross-selling – requiring consent before pushing customers into new products – and to expand consumer choice on how marketing is delivered.
With the consultation window closing, operators are under pressure to make their views known before the Commission locks in changes later this year.
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has reminded licences and wider stakeholders they have until 29 September to submit feedback and opinion on technical changes to the UK’s gambling rulebook. Feedback is required in lieu of the Commission updating its Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) to bring it into line with the Digital Markets, …