The Gambling Commission has finalised new gaming-machine standards for Great Britain. New machines will have to show playing time and net position, provide gambling-management tools and meet tighter design requirements.

The final response was published on 30 September 2026. It follows a consultation launched on 29 January 2025 and closed on 3 June 2025.

The regulator received 1,065 responses, including consumer research, industry data and evidence reports. The Gambling Commission published the consultation response as part of its final decision.

The changes put time, losses and the pace of play more clearly in front of customers, but most existing machines will not need to be upgraded.

What changes for players

From 30 June 2027, new category B machines must give customers better access to limit-setting and other gambling-management tools.

They must also show session information while a customer is actively playing. This includes:

  • How long the customer has been playing.
  • The customer’s net position, meaning the amount won or lost.
  • Access to relevant gambling-management tools.

Where a game compendium contains a new game, the information must also appear at the wider machine or platform level.

The Commission has also approved design restrictions for new category A, B and C machines. A machine must not celebrate a return that is less than or equal to the total stake.

It must also block features that allow a customer to reduce the time before a result is known. The rules target two familiar features of machine play: presenting a small return as a win and increasing the pace of results.

The changes apply to the design of new machines, not to a general ban on existing games.

Three dates operators must track

The regulator has chosen a staged rollout rather than one large compliance deadline:

  • 30 March 2027: the new definition of a gaming-machine session takes effect.
  • 30 June 2027: the main requirements for management tools, session information and responsible game design begin.
  • 3 October 2028: the remaining staff-alert requirements take effect.

The March date will allow the Commission to collect data using the new session definition before the technical standards change.

The regulator said this should help it assess the impact of the reforms after implementation. For operators, the timetable means that data collection, machine design and staff procedures will change at different points.

Why existing machines are mostly outside the rules

Existing machines will generally be exempt from the new requirements on limit-setting and session displays.

The Commission said retrofitting older equipment could create complex technical work and costs without producing proportionate consumer benefits. The decision also responds to concerns from smaller licensees and the social-club sector.

The result is a two-layer rulebook: older machines can remain under existing standards, while new machines entering the market must meet stronger requirements.

There is an important qualification. An existing machine may fall within the new limit-setting requirements if it is made available on a game compendium that contains a new game.

Once a new game is added to that compendium, the Commission says all games on it must comply. That includes older games and games in categories C and D.

Staff alerts come later

Licensees will still have duties to ensure staff alerts are handled properly. The Commission removed the requirement for alerts when a customer reaches the first or second default time threshold.

It said the change would reduce unnecessary alerts and focus staff attention on higher-risk situations.

The remaining staff-alert rules will take effect on 3 October 2028. The Commission described that date as a hard stop because operators need time for protocol updates, multi-platform integration and acceptance testing.

A wider test for Britain’s land-based gambling market

The reforms apply to gaming machines in Great Britain, including those in betting shops, casinos, social clubs and amusement arcades.

They do not create a single gambling framework for Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

The practical test now moves from consultation to delivery. Manufacturers, testing houses and licensees must prepare machines, systems and staff processes for the 2027 deadlines.

The Gambling Commission will then have to assess whether clearer session information leads to earlier and more effective action when signs of gambling harm appear.