What changed
Key events are changes a licensee must tell the Gambling Commission about, such as a new person gaining influence over the business. The Commission consulted on the thresholds in 2025 and set the new rules in its consultation response.
- The trigger for reporting a new relevant person rose from 3% to 5% of share capital, voting rights or dividend entitlement.
- The same 5% applies to insolvency-type events affecting a shareholder.
- Entities without share capital now count as relevant persons, so partnerships and similar structures are covered.
- Relevant loans are reportable whether or not the agreement is written down.
Why the Commission did it
The Commission said 5% matches the thresholds most international regulators use. Listed groups often cannot see shareholdings below 5%, so a 3% rule asked them to report what they could not know.
What it means for UK players
Nothing changes at the cashier. The point of the rule stays the same: the regulator knows who stands behind a UK-licensed casino and can act if that changes. That oversight is part of what a UK licence gives you and what many offshore licences do not.
Before you sign up at a new casino, check that its domain appears under a current licence on the Commission's public register. Our review method explains what else we check.