UK Bingo Regulations & Laws

Bingo has always been big business in the UK, but now online bingo halls are extremely popular, with more and more people joining up. You might think that there are risks involved when you join such a site and deposit money, but if you choose a bingo hall that is based in the UK, you should have no worries. This is because UK bingo halls are regulated by the UK Gambling Commission, and there is strong legislation in place to protect players. We’re going to guide you through all the most important laws and bingo regulations in the following article, so keep reading as our experts break it all down.

What is the Gambling Commission, and how does it create bingo regulations?

bingo regulations uk

The UK Gambling Commission is the body in charge of all licencing, gambling regulation, and gambling legislation in the UK. This includes poker, sports betting, casino games, lotteries, and bingo.

Their primary tasks are issuing licenses, creating and issuing codes of practice and rules for licensing types, regulating those they have issued licenses to, and investigating and prosecuting gambling offences.

As you can imagine, with all this on their plate, they’re pretty busy guys. Compared to other countries, bingo regulations and gambling legislation are considered very strict in the UK, which helps protect players from rogue traders and bad practices in the industry. The Gambling Commission ensures that all gambling laws and bingo regulations are enforced in multiple ways.

The Gambling Commission defines gambling to include bingo and bingo products, software, and machines, and as such, they have rules pertaining to each area. Whilst they do recognize that Bingo itself has no legal definition in terms of the rules and way of play, bingo games in the UK are usually similar.

UK Bingo Regulation & Legislation

Let’s start by defining gambling in the eyes of UK bingo regulations. Gambling is defined in legislation as casino gaming, placing bets of equal chance (aka bingo), betting or lotteries. The definition includes land-based and online facilities, often referred to as remote gambling. Online gambling is defined as partaking in gambling via phone, TV or any other piece of technology designed for communication. This is pretty straightforward: Bingo is classed as gambling in the UK, both online and in a live hall when played for money. This means it is regulated by the Gambling Commission.

Online bingo must comply with the same regulations as non-remote bingo. This assures customers of the fairness of each game. Bingo hall owners must comply with a set of rules imposed by the Commission. There are four main elements to bingo regulation.

Bingo Regulations & Laws: Gambling Act 2005 & 2014

As Bingo is played for money, it falls under the gambling regulations of 1968, 2005, and 2014. The 2005 Gambling Act was the first in many years, and it aimed to let the laws and regulations catch up with the huge increase in gambling, both land-based and online. Things had changed hugely since 1968, and much more regulation was needed.

The 2005 Act established gambling and bingo regulation in the UK was to be based on the fundamental values that;

It was the 2005 GA that established the Gambling Commission and allowed gambling businesses to advertise in the UK, but as you will see, the later 2014 Act then tackled abuses in advertising, and this was its main aim. In general, UK gambling and bingo regulations say that bingo can only take place on licensed premises or operators using licensed software, and those who are engaging in the game must be of legal age to do so. In the past, many online bingo sites targeting the UK used to be based off-shore to avoid the strict licensing regulations.

However, the 2014 Act overhauled this, and currently, any online bingo site targeting and advertising to UK customers must be licenced by the UK and adhere to advertising, tax laws, and codes of conduct (unless listed in the Whitelist). Additionally, it is the site’s responsibility to know where its players are playing from and to have adequate licensing. This is why you are now asked to verify not only your age but also your address when you play online.

Bingo Regulation: The Whitelist

The advertising and licensing rules hold true for everyone except those in the ‘whitelisted’ gambling jurisdictions approved by the UK Gambling Commission because they have strong legislation in line with the protections offered by UK legislation & bingo regulations. They are allowed to advertise and provide services to UK customers. These are:

The Whitelist has caused some controversy with online sites outside of these jurisdictions, arguing it goes against the free market and fair competition for customers. However, it is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to online gambling. The strict legislation is not just in place to protect customers but also to guard against international money laundering and large-scale crime.

Bingo Regulation: Licensing Conditions

Bingo Regulations

A bingo hall (both online and land-based) requires a bingo license. These licenses can be operating licenses, personal management licenses or premises licenses. When you are using a fully licensed site, the info will be easy to find as they will proudly display who gave them the license on-site. If you cannot easily see this information, stay away from the gambling site.

There are exceptions to each of these licenses; for example, operating licenses are not required if the bingo games are played for fundraising or in a pub. Licenses can be applied to the Gambling Commission, and if the process seems difficult sometimes, there are guidance articles designed for each kind of license that a person might want to request. Some of the elements that make up the rules and bingo regulations for license holders include the following areas: protection of money, segregation of funds (customer funds are to be kept separate client accounts), anti-money laundering regulations, provision on credit regulations, fair and transparent practices, responsible advertising and placement, reporting of key events & offences, regulations for betting types, how licenses must be displayed and so on. Once again, everything is listed on the Gambling Commission page. For online bingo, the companies that create the software must also be licensed by the Gambling Commission, as this ensures the games are fair.

Software Standards of Bingo Regulation

On top of the licensing bingo regulations, there are also software standards that must be met to ensure that all online bingo games are fair. These include:

As with bingo hall regulations, the licensing conditions for software are strict and include game testing. This ensures that the games really pay the RTP advertised, function as they should, and generate random results—basically, they are not fixed.

Gaming machines must also meet specific technical standards. The Gambling Commission provides detailed information about each category of machines. License holders that own a UK bingo hall must report key events for software and machinery to the Gambling Commission, such as gaming system faults and errors.

Codes of Practice in Bingo & Gambling Regulation

Codes of practice are part of the licensing agreements undertaken by the gambling operator- in this case, the bingo site or hall. They are detailed and pertain to the rules of the licence for both practical elements, such as not doing anything that goes against the aims of the licensing regulations, and social responsibility, such as:

Again, the codes of conduct are very strict, and customer protection is at the forefront of the bingo regulations. Hopefully, this has given you a much better idea of just how the gambling commission and bingo regulations within the UK protect players. That is why you should always play with a licensed bingo operator, as you will guarantee not only the fairness of the bingo room but also that they are protecting you to the level of the law.

Whilst the licensing and bingo regulations might seem like a tedious process, you should know that it is designed to always benefit end-users. This way, you can have the guarantee that the games you engage in are fair, no matter whether you play online or in real life. As always, the easiest way to find a great bingo site is to check out our expert recommendations and reviews.