On September 1, 2025, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) will be sending out the very first invoices for the new statutory gambling levy, through the eServices portal. Payment in full must be made by licensees via GovPay by October 1, 2025, or alternatively, through bank transfer.
The compulsory levy came into force in April 2025, replacing the old voluntary system of RET contributions and was instituted under the Gambling Levy Regulations following the Gambling Act Review by the government.
The UKGC has maintained that paying the levy is a strict licence condition. Should a payment not be made on time, then grounds for suspension or revocation under the Gambling Act 2005 may be considered, unless the late payment has been deemed a genuine administrative error.
Invoices will have been calculated based on a licensee’s activity for the previous year. For this initial period, however, most operators will be assessed for nine months of activity (July 2024 to March 2025), which will then be annualized for billing purposes. Separate regulations apply to society lotteries.
There are different categories for the levy rates:
1.1% of gross revenue for remote operators (like online casinos)
0.5% for land-based casinos and betting shops
0.1% for society lotteries
The government expects the levy to generate around £100m annually-double the amount that was collected under the voluntary scheme. This money will go to three public bodies:
£50 million to Dept. of Health and Social Care for treatment services.
£30 million to the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities for prevention and education.
£20 million to UK Research and Innovation for new research.
The transition towards a statutory levy renders voluntary contributions no longer part of the operators' obligations. Consequently, GambleAware, which stood previously as the main beneficiary of voluntary contributions, will cease to exist with effect from March 2026.
Meanwhile, other stakeholders have raised questions about the management of levy funds and called for a fair and unbiased process. In an op-ed for iGB, founder Victoria Reed of Better Change said: "Without this, we run the risk of not only misusing public funds but losing the experience and progress made through decades of work to prevent harm."
While industry groups have warned of increasing regulatory burden, especially for online operators paying the highest fee, proponents argue that under the statutory system, funding for harm prevention is consistent and reliably available. With the invoices being sent out now, operators are advised to make sure that compliance and finance are ready for that deadline.