Online game design rules in the UK

Online game design rules UK: the short version

The design rules aren't about odds. They're about pace, presentation and awareness: how fast a game can run, whether it can play itself, what it's allowed to celebrate and what it must show you about your spending.

They're written as Remote Technical Standards, which every Gambling Commission licensee has to meet. The core text is RTS 14 on responsible product design (opens in a new tab). Because the standards apply to the game, not the device, the rules are the same in an iPhone app, an Android app and a browser.

Each rule also has its own page on this site: the autoplay ban, the game speed rules and the separate online slot stake limits. All of them sit within our UK rules hub.

Every UK game design rule, code by code

The table lists each rule, its reference and when it reached slots and other casino games. "Other casino games" means games such as roulette, blackjack, baccarat and house-played poker.

Peer-to-peer poker is treated differently: the autoplay rule allows automatic posting of blinds, and the 5-second minimum doesn't apply to it or to bingo.

Why the Gambling Commission wrote game design rules

Online games can run far faster and longer than anything in a venue, and the rules target exactly that. The Commission described the 2025 package as limits on the speed and intensity of play, extending protections that had applied only to slots.

The first set came from the 2021 consultation on online games design and reverse withdrawals. Its summary of changes to the technical standards (opens in a new tab) lists the autoplay ban, the turbo and slam-stop ban, the rule on celebrating losses and the net-position display. Before that, the industry's own design code of September 2020 had already committed members to a 2.5-second minimum and an end to turbo play.

The summer 2023 consultation then carried most of these rules across to other casino games. The Commission's announcement, New rules boosting safety and consumer choice (opens in a new tab), set 17 January 2025 as the start date.

How the design rules look in a casino app

Most of the rules show up as things you won't find, which is why they're easy to miss. Here's what a licensed game on your phone has to do.

• You start every round yourself. There's no setting to run 50 or 100 spins on their own, and on slots you must release the spin button and press it again for the next spin.
• Results can't be hurried. No turbo switch, no quick-spin mode and no tapping the reels to stop them early.
• One game at a time. A licensed app won't let you play two slots side by side, or a slot and a roulette table at once.
• Your numbers stay visible. The game shows your net position (what you've won or lost in the session) and how long you've been playing.
• The time of day stays visible too. Under RTS 13A, a full-screen app that hides the phone's clock has to show the time or the elapsed session time itself.

You can also set how often a reality check appears; it shows the time since your session began and stays until you acknowledge it. The RTS 13 standard on time and reality checks (opens in a new tab) sets this out, and our reality checks guide shows where to find the setting.

The rule against celebrating losses disguised as wins

RTS 14F says a game must not celebrate a return that's less than or equal to the total stake. On a multi-line slot, you can land a "win" on one line and still be down on the spin. Flashing lights and a jingle for that result give a false sense of winning, so they're not allowed.

The game can still show the amount returned. What it can't do is dress up a loss or a break-even spin as a win. If a game you play seems to do this, you can raise it with the operator.

Net position and session time: reading the display

The net position is simple arithmetic: everything returned to you in the session minus everything you staked. Say you start a session and stake £30 across a run of spins, and the game returns £22. Your net position reads −£8, whatever your balance shows.

That figure is often more useful than the balance, because a balance mixes old deposits and earlier wins. Pair it with the elapsed-time display and you have the two numbers that matter most. For your account-wide picture, see checking your net deposits in an app and how to see how much you've lost.

How the Commission enforces game design rules

The rules apply to game suppliers as well as the casino brands. 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. It's a clear example of a design rule being checked in practice, and of a supplier being held to account rather than only the operator.

You can follow enforcement on the Commission's website, and our page on remote gambling licences explains who needs a licence and why that matters for apps.

What the game design rules don't cover

• Stake sizes. Stakes are set by a separate rule: £5 per slot cycle for over-25s and £2 for 18–24s.
• Feature buys. These aren't in RTS 14. Since a Gambling Commission warning in January 2020, feature buy-ins are not offered to British players.
• Gamble features. RTS 14 doesn't mention them, and the Commission's own stake-limit guidance describes an optional prize gamble that needs no extra stake. They're decided game by game.
• Bonus rounds. The guidance exempts bonus games that need no extra stake from the speed requirement, and "reveal-all" features aren't banned.
• Odds and RTP. Design rules don't set returns. RTP must be available to you before play under a separate standard; see RTP information rules.

How to check a game follows UK design rules

1. Open the game in a licensed app and look for the balance area: net position and session time should be on screen.
2. Check the spin or deal controls: there should be no auto, turbo or quick-spin option.
3. Open the game's help or paytable screen to find its RTP and rules before you stake anything.
4. Watch a losing spin on a multi-line slot: there should be no win fanfare for a return at or below your stake.
5. If something looks wrong, contact the operator's support with the game name and time, then use the complaints process if needed.

Our guide to finding a game's RTP in an app helps with step 3, and how to complain about a casino app covers step 5.

Online game design rules timeline

Licensed casino apps that follow the UK design rules

The partner apps below are licensed by the Gambling Commission, so their slots and tables must meet every rule on this page. Their welcome offers are slot-only and use 10p spins.

18+, terms apply. Coral Casino (new players, 1 October 2026 to 1 February 2027): bet £10+ on slots after a qualifying deposit and get 100 free spins on selected games, worth 10p each, to accept within 48 hours and use within 7 days, with no wagering on spin winnings. Deposits by Neteller, PayPal, Paysafe, Skrill, prepaid cards and certain debit cards are excluded.

Ladbrokes Casino (new customers): after depositing and spending £10+ on slots, you get 50 free spins a day over 10 days, 500 at most, valued at 10p on selected games. Each day's spins must be claimed by 23:59, expire after 7 days and carry no wagering. Prepaid cards, PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill and Moneybookers deposits don't qualify.

PlayOJO (new UK customers outside Northern Ireland): deposit at least £10 for the first time and get 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza at 10p, with no wagering and winnings paid in cash; not combinable, designated link only. You may not be able to open new accounts at both Coral and Ladbrokes, as both are run by LC International Limited. Design rules slow the pace, but they don't change the house edge.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.