UKGC publishes survey on new deposit limit rules following industry confusion

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The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has launched a new consultation that seeks to refine the wording and optimisation of new deposit limit regulations that are set to be enforced on 31 October 2025. 

Central to this public survey is a bid to clarify the definition of ‘deposit limits’ and other financial limiting tools set out in the Remote Gambling and Software Technical Standards (RTS).

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Consumers, stakeholders, gambling licencees and the general public are encouraged to provide feedback via an online survey within this consultation period, which shall remain open until 30 April 2025. 

According to the UKGC, this supplementary survey will “build upon the proposals detailed in the initial consultation” and “improve consistency across the industry to improve clarity and transparency about how limits work for customers.”

The move to introduce a fresh survey comes as the regulatory body found that gambling operators view financial limits in various different manners – with notable disparity on deposit limits. 

It is hoped that this consultative period will streamline the thought process for all, and put business owners and consumers on the same page when it comes to what it means to enforce a deposit limit. 

Specifically, confusion arose when the UKGC opted to incorporate ‘net deposit limits’. Where traditional deposit limits simply placed a ceiling on the maximum amount of money that may be transferred to an account wallet, net deposit limits also account for withdrawals.

This added element prompted puzzlement from those ingratiated in established self-limiting tools.

For instance, under the traditional rules, a player who sets a £50 deposit limit will only be allowed to fund their gambling account during the specific timeframe attributed to that restriction; daily, weekly and monthly options are typically available on modern platforms. 

Once the player hits that limit, they will no longer be permitted to process further transactions until the deposit limit period elapses. 

Net deposit limits change the way such a restriction works. Under proposed regulations, a player who arranges a £50 deposit limit and then withdraws £20 may be permitted to deposit up to £70. 

This would allow the player to make up the deficit left by a withdrawal from their gambling wallet. Such a drastic change could induce misinterpretations of the rules by those unfamiliar with the redesigned system.

The decision to alter how deposit limits work was initiated in accordance with findings derived from the Gambling White Paper. At the core of the authority’s mission is to make setting financial limits easy. Moreover, it is believed that revamped laws will “enable customers gambling online to manage their gambling in ways that work for them.”