British Gambling Commission Finalizes New Rules for Category B Gaming Machines

The British Gambling Commission has confirmed new regulations for gaming machines. All new Category B machines must feature improved access to gambling management tools and display session information on how long customers have been playing and their net wins or losses.

These standards introduce responsible game design measures, including bans on celebrating wins worth less than the stake and on features that speed up the time taken to reveal results. Similar rules already apply to online slots. Category B devices, the most common electronic gaming machines in betting shops, arcades and bingo halls, can pay out up to £500.

Consultation Feedback Drives Key Amendments

More than 1,000 responses to the Gambling Commission’s consultation, along with supporting data and research, prompted several revisions. Existing machines have been exempted from the new limit-setting and sessional information requirements after operators highlighted significant costs and technical complexity, especially for smaller businesses and social clubs.

The regulator adopted a blended approach to displaying information, changed the session definition to prevent premature breaks, and switched to a “net position” metric that consumers understand more easily. A graduated approach to mandatory breaks in play replaces earlier proposals on staff alerts for the first two thresholds, aiming to reduce alert fatigue. Players may choose to hide elapsed time and net position details after at least 10 seconds of a break.

Phased Timeline Sets Clear Compliance Milestones

A new gaming machine session definition takes effect on March 30, 2027, with most other changes following on June 30, 2027. Staff alert requirements arrive on October 3, 2028, described as a “hard stop” after allowing time for technical integration. Helen Rhodes, Director of Major Policy Projects and Evaluation, said: “These measures will help both to empower consumers to understand and manage their gambling and ensure operators play their part. Consultation feedback from a range of stakeholders helped to inform our thinking and where there was legitimate and evidenced concern, we made changes. We are confident that the consultation has led to a package of changes where the benefits to consumers are proportionate to the costs of implementation and that the staged timeline for implementation is reasonable and achievable.”

As reported by Focus Gaming News, the revisions reflect concerns over implementation costs, customer experience and unintended consequences. The two-year window for full rollout gives operators time to prepare procurement and systems updates, though the exemption for legacy equipment limits immediate industry-wide disruption while still advancing player protection goals.

Reporting: Focus Gaming News

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