New Gambling Machines Must Tell Players What They Have Lost

The UK Gambling Commission has announced new rules for gambling machines. Under the rules, new gambling machines in the UK will have to show players how long they have been playing and how much money they have won or lost.

This package of new standards for gaming machines follows a consultation launched in January 2025 and will be implemented from June 30 2027. As part of the wider Gambling Act Review reforms, new Category B gaming machines will have to provide improved access to gambling management tools.

The session information will also be available to gambling operators. This should provide staff with additional data that can be used when deciding whether a customer requires a safer gambling interaction.

Importantly, the rules will not apply retrospectively to existing machines. This means that for players, the changes will seem staggered, with many betting shops and casinos appearing unchanged for some time.

Players to See Wins and Losses in Real Time

One of the most noticeable changes is the introduction of clearer session information. Players will be able to see both how long they have been gambling and their ‘net position.

The Gambling Commission originally consulted on several approaches to displaying this information, but has now opted for what it describes as a blended approach. Players will be allowed to actively hide information about elapsed time and their net position. But, only after it has been displayed for at least 10 seconds during a break in play.

The Commission said the use of ‘net position’ also reflects research. This research suggested that the term was the best understood by consumers, over alternatives considered during the consultation.

No Celebrations for Wins Smaller Than the Stake

New standards will also affect how gaming machines present the outcome of individual spins. Machines will be prevented from celebrating wins that are worth less than the amount originally staked.

For example, if a player stakes £2 and receives £1 back, the machine will not be able to present the £1 return in the same celebratory way as a genuine win.

Features allowing players to reduce the amount of time they must wait before learning the result of a game will also be prohibited.

The Commission says these changes are intended to encourage more responsible and transparent game design.

Existing Gaming Machines Will Be Exempt

Perhaps the biggest limitation of the new rules is that they will not apply to machines already in use.

The Gambling Commission initially considered bringing existing machines within the scope of requirements. However, it dropped that proposal after concerns were raised about the technical work and cost involved in modifying older machines.

As a result, the new requirements will only affect machines introduced after the rules take effect. As opposed to requiring Britain's entire existing stock of gaming machines to be upgraded.

That means players should not expect every machine to begin displaying their session losses from June 2027. Instead, the protections will become increasingly common as existing machines are replaced by newer models.

Operators Will Get More Information About Gambling Sessions

Session data will not only be available to players. The Commission says the information will also be made available to licensees. This should help operators identify customers displaying signs of harmful gambling.

However, some of the original proposals for staff alerts have been scaled back.

The Commission has removed requirements for staff to receive alerts when players reach the first and second default time-limit thresholds. It said this would reduce implementation costs while helping staff focus their attention on situations considered to present a greater risk.

The change also addresses concerns about ‘alert fatigue’, where staff receiving large numbers of warnings could make individual alerts less useful.