The UK Gambling Commission has delayed the rollout of new deposit limitrequirements for remote gambling operators, giving companies more time to complete technical updates tied to consumer protection measures.
The second phase of changes to the Remote Technical Standards (RTS), originally scheduled for 30 June 2026, will now take effect on 30 September 2026. Regulators said stakeholder feedback highlighted the need for additional development time.
The updated rules are part of wider gambling reforms introduced in October 2025 to strengthen tools that help consumers manage spending.
From the end of September 2026, operators must offer gross deposit limits to customers. Companies will also need to label gross deposit limits specifically as “deposit limits” and give those limits at least equal prominence alongside other financial controls.
The Commission also clarified that only gross deposit limits may operate across fixed time periods. Other limit types can continue using rolling or fixed time frames.
Operators were advised to review the Remote Gambling and Software Technical Standards consultation response and the RTS 12 annex before implementation. Regulators also warned businesses to disregard annex copies downloaded before 22 May 2026 because earlier versions contained “small errors” and were temporarily removed from the website.
Online Slots Data Reflects Shifting Habits
At the same time, newly released figures covering the first full year of UK online slots stake limits suggest gambling behaviour has shifted since the introduction of tighter controls in April 2025.
The £5 maximum stake cap for adults represented one of the biggest regulatory interventions in Britain’s online gambling market in recent years. Data published for the period ending March 2026 showed online slots gross gambling yield (GGY) increased 12% year-on-year to £773 million during the January-to-March quarter.
Despite the overall revenue rise, several player activity indicators moved lower. Average GGY per session declined from £4.01 to £3.82 compared with the previous year. The number of spins per session also dropped from 136 to 124, while average session duration shortened by two minutes to 15 minutes.
The data showed overall growth came from increased participation rather than heavier spending by individual users. Active slots accounts climbed 6% year-on-year to 4.8 million, while total sessions jumped 18% to 202 million during the quarter.
Industry data also indicated fewer lengthy gambling sessions. Sessions lasting longer than one hour fell 12% to 8.9 million, while the proportion of sessions exceeding an hour declined from 5.9% to 4.4%.
Regulators Continue Monitoring Impact
The Commission said year-on-year comparisons remain difficult because several operators revised session-length measurement methods during the year, affecting data on session totals and average duration.
Automated customer interactions increased 32% to 5.2 million after operators refined markers-of-harm systems that generated more automated alerts. Direct customer interactions by operators fell 9%.
Offline gambling performance weakened during the same period. Offline betting GGY declined 5% year-on-year to £527 million. Over-the-counter betting revenue fell 18% to £125 million, while machine revenue remained nearly flat at £276 million.
The results showed a growing divide between online and land-based gambling activity as regulators continue assessing the long-term effects of stake limits.
Source:
“Implementation extension for new deposit limit requirements”, gamblingcommission.gov.uk, May 26, 2026.
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