Online casino game design rules UK

Online casino game design rules UK at a glance

The design rules sit in the Gambling Commission’s remote technical standards (RTS), which every licensed operator and game supplier must meet. They were introduced for slots after a consultation on online games design and reverse withdrawals, with the decision published on 2 February 2021 (opens in a new tab), and switched on for slots from 31 October 2021. A second consultation in summer 2023 extended most of them to other online casino games from 17 January 2025.

The Commission’s annex summarising the RTS changes (opens in a new tab) gives the formal wording of each slot requirement. The same 2021 package also brought in the reverse withdrawal ban, which covers the cashier rather than the games.

Autoplay ban and minimum game speeds

RTS 8C requires you to commit to each game cycle individually. In practice that ended the old “spin 100 times” buttons, and the guidance adds that holding down a button, key or screen should not start another spin. Our page on the slot autoplay ban covers the history.

Speed has two floors. A slot must allow at least 2.5 seconds from the start of a spin until the next can begin, explained on our 2.5-second spin rule page. Other casino games, such as RNG roulette, blackjack and baccarat, must allow at least 5 seconds per game cycle; our page on online table game speed rules covers that one, including which games are excluded.

Worked example: a 50p slot at the 2.5-second floor allows up to 1,440 spins an hour, or £720 of turnover. At 96% RTP the expected loss is £28.80 an hour at that pace, and far less at a relaxed pace of, say, 400 spins (£8). The rules don’t change the RTP; they limit how fast turnover can build.

Why there is no turbo or slam stop on UK slots

RTS 14E says the system must not let a customer reduce the time until the result is presented. The guidance spells out that turbo, quick spin and slam stop features are prohibited on all remote slots, though it doesn’t apply to bonus or feature games played with no extra stake. Our glossary explains turbo spin and slam stop for anyone who has seen them on overseas versions of games.

The 2025 executive summary did not state a final decision on extending the turbo and slam-stop ban beyond slots, so we don’t present one as a rule for table games.

No celebrating losses: the losses disguised as wins rule

RTS 14F bans win-style sounds and animations for a return that is equal to or less than the total stake. Before the rule, a slot could flash lights and play a jingle when a £1 spin paid back 40p, a net loss of 60p. Now the game can show the amount and briefly highlight the line, with a distinct sound that is different from its win sounds, but nothing that suggests a win.

Our page on the losses disguised as wins ban goes into the research behind it.

Net position and session time on screen

RTS 2E requires a game session to show your net position since it began, in your account currency: total winnings minus total stakes. RTS 13C requires elapsed session time, counted from when the game opens or play starts. Say you start a session with £50, play for 34 minutes and now have £31.40: the screen should show a net position of −£18.60 and a timer at 34 minutes. Seeing both figures together makes it harder to lose track. More detail is on our net position display rule page.

Why the Commission brought in game design rules

The 2021 rules came from the Commission’s view that some game features increased the intensity of play and made it harder for players to keep control: autoplay removing the decision to spin again, turbo shrinking the time between results, and celebrations disguising losses. Reverse withdrawals were dealt with in the same package because of a similar concern about the most engaged players.

The 2025 extension followed evidence that non-slot casino games carried higher average losses per minute, £1.12 against 31.8p on slots in the Patterns of Play data the Commission cited. It also followed the government’s 2023 white paper, which listed game design among its online measures; see our page on the gambling white paper.

Related rules that are not design rules

Several rules sit next to the design standards and are often confused with them:

• Stake limits: £5 per spin for players aged 25 and over since 9 April 2025, and £2 for ages 18–24 since 21 May 2025, set by government for online slots only. See the £5 slot stake limit and £2 slot stake limit.
• Demo games: free-to-play versions can only be played after age verification, since May 2019; see the free demo games rule.
• Feature buys: slots supplied to UK-licensed casinos don’t offer a bonus buy, but we have found no dated Commission rule banning it; our bonus buy page explains.
• RTP information: how return figures are published is covered on our RTP display rules page.

How the design rules are enforced

Both operators and game suppliers are licensed, so either can face action. In June 2026 Stakelogic BV agreed to pay £122,835 (opens in a new tab) after some of its slots ran below the 2.5-second minimum. Games are also tested by independent labs before release; our page on how casino games are tested explains the process, and Gambling Commission fines lists other cases.

How to check a game meets the UK design rules

1. Open a game and look for the session timer and net position display; both should be visible.
2. Look for any autoplay, turbo, quick spin or slam stop control; none should exist on a UK slot.
3. Play a round and check that the spin button needs a new press each time.
4. Watch a small return below your stake: there should be no win jingle or celebration.
5. Open the help screen to check the RTP and the game supplier.
6. If something looks wrong, record it, report it to the casino, and use its complaints route if needed.

Timeline of online game design rules

The latest slot rules page and the main UK casino rules index track anything newer.

Where to play games built to UK design rules

Every slot and casino game offered by a Gambling Commission licensee must follow these rules, so the rules themselves aren’t a reason to prefer one licensed site over another. Coral and PlayOJO both hold Commission licences, through LC International Limited (account 54743) and Skill On Net Limited (account 39326) respectively. Our Coral slots page covers what Coral publishes about its games.

The offers below are for new players aged 18+ and terms apply. Coral: deposit and bet £10 on slots to get 100 free spins at 10p each on selected games, with 48 hours to accept and 7 days to use them, no wagering on winnings, and some payment methods excluded. PlayOJO: 80 free spins at 10p each on Big Bass Bonanza with a first deposit of £10 or more, no wagering on winnings, Northern Ireland excluded. Gambling costs money, and the house edge means losses are likely over time.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Set a deposit limit before you play: how to set deposit limits. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.