Gambling Commission launches consultation on proposed changes to Gaming Machine Technical Standards

The Gambling Commission has today launched its latest consultation, which contains changes to its Gaming Machine Technical Standards, Gaming Machine Testing Strategy and the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice.

The consultation includes proposals to:

• Introduce five new standards, a licence condition and a social responsibility code provision designed to support and empower consumers to use gaming machines safely at every stage of the customer journey – this includes proposals on time and monetary limit setting functionality and information provision such as safer gambling messaging and the display of net position and session time.
• Amend three existing standards having considered industry proposals to improve customer enjoyment and gameplay
• Consolidate the existing 12 gaming machine technical standards into a single standard, whilst amending the format to be more consistent with its Remote gambling and software technical standards for greater clarity.
• Update the gaming machine technical standards and the related testing strategy to remove obsolete material.

Previously trade bodies and their members have engaged with the Gambling Commission during a pre-consultation exercise and the Gambling Commission has:

• Added a second consultation option for the ‘limit setting’ and ‘display of sessional information’ proposals that would exempt existing B3A and B4 gaming machines and/or games when made available for use in clubs.

• Limited the ‘awards below the stake size’ and ‘prohibiting player-led features that permit a customer to reduce the time until the result is presented’ proposals to new Cat B and Cat C gaming machines and/or games, thus removing existing games from those proposals.

• For the ‘awards below the stake size’ and ‘prohibiting player-led features that permit a customer to reduce the time until the result is presented’ proposals, because neither rests on a sessional definition, it has softened proposals to game compendiums, meaning that for these proposals new and existing games would be able to sit alongside one another.
• Where existing gaming machines and/or games are within scope of the proposals they have extended the proposed implementation timeline from 18 months to 24 months.

This consultation will run for 16 weeks and close on the 20^th May 2025.

Further details of the consultation can be found here and stakeholders are invited to provide response through the Online Survey.