UK Gambling Commission Clarifies Deposit Limits in Consultation

22 September 2026

The UK Gambling Commission launched a supplementary consultation on 6 March 2025 to address recent industry confusion over how deposit limits should be widely defined and communicated in the Remote Gambling and Software Technical Standards (RTS). The consultation, which is the fourth to address customer-led financial limits since the Commission's 2023 White Paper on digital gambling reform, focused on clarifying the differences between net and gross deposit limits for consumers.

Context of the Consultation

As part of its stage-by-stage rollout of customer-protection regulations enshrined in the 2023 Gambling Act Review, the Commission has already mandated that from 31 October 2025, all gambling operators must prompt users to set a deposit or other financial limit before their first deposit, and remind them every six months. From 30 September 2026, the formal understanding is that operators should have introduced mechanisms for setting gross deposit limits only, not net deposit limits.

This ambiguity over "net" versus "gross" deposit limits was the key issue that the March consultation aimed to resolve. In a net deposit limit model, the same £20 weekly limit consumer who withdrew £10 could deposit £30 in that week, as the withdrawal makes the net deposit lower. That could trick players into misinterpreting their true deposit allowance.

The earlier consultation also detailed that the final reporting calendar had been refined, extending the implementation schedule from 30 June 2026 to 30 September 2026, in consultation with various stakeholders.

Responses from Operators

The supplemental consultation was open from 6 March 2025 to 30 April 2025, and included 20 questions looking at improving the technical definition and presentation of financial limits to improve consumer perspective. Individual consumer rights and clearer standards are part of the ongoing balance between giving consumers control over their gambling exposure, and the commercial pressures on businesses that fund Gambling Commission enforcement actions.

When approached for comment, an unnamed gambling operator said: "We welcome this clarification and extra consideration for how customers perceive and understand deposit limits. From 60% of our consumer base surveyed, we saw a lack of grasp or real understanding of how their deposit limit may or may not be topped up by withdrawn amounts. We therefore feel the proposed RTS amendments will provide much clarity for the consumer."

Clarifying Deposit Limit Language

There was further friction in the details of how these checks in and checkups should be displayed and how prominently. One question in the consultation was how best to display gross (pure in deposit) deposit limit alongside net deposit limit. Another was whether there should be standardised wording for these limits so that there is consistency in operators' communications.

From 30 September 2026, the ruling makes it plain that a financial limit can only be called a "deposit limit" if it is a gross deposit limit based only on funds paid in over a set duration, not net of withdrawals, with other limit types like loss limits having similar complete definitions.

Implications for Gambling Operators

From an industry stance, the regulatory stance will mean putting in the historic changes beyond the requirements already adopted, with a gross limit being formed with equal clarity and notice as a net limit - alongside the latter's mandatory six monthly consumer reminder of their gambling activity.

For the operators, that means a small but important difference in how they implement their systems. It also shows broader consumer uncertainty around variations of customer limits.

One statistician contacted offered "On analysis of approach to money, the customer appeared to think of deposit limits as just a sum, a figure, rather than a sum with more dimensions or qualifiers. Make it look like that."

Where once the greatest compliance concern was the adherence to any limit at all, it is now more about the precise wording, display and explanatory text around the limit - rather than just the limit itself.

The Commission's Stance

In a later release, the Commission detailed their thinking: "The RTS wording makes it clear that when any of the other financial limits are being offered, any gross deposit limit should be displayed with at least equal prominence. This maintains customer awareness and control with a clear option of a recognised industry standard deposit limit available. Only gross limits will be known as deposit limits from 30th September 2026."

Ongoing Reforms

The latest discussion of definitions of deposit limitations is only the latest part of a raft of updates on consumer protection measures for the digital gambling space in 2025 and 2026. In a 4 February 2025 statement, the Commission also shared in-depth detail on the other new measures that come into effect on that date, with another round of reforms starting on 30 September 2026.

The Commission urged operators to strengthen their approach to assessing a customer’s vulnerability and gambling risk through a combination of increased self-reported customer activity, sector input and intelligence-led targeting. Currently only 30% of operators are already reviewing the assessment of gambling risk according to age and vulnerability, while 57% are only considering the latter whilst ignoring customer self-reports.