The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has launched its first Code Handbook, a collection of 20 voluntary codes encompassing 100 measures aimed at raising standards across the regulated iGaming industry. Released on the BGC’s fifth anniversary, the handbook consolidates all voluntary commitments required from its members, including adherence to the BGC’s overarching Code of Conduct.
While some of these codes have now been integrated into the License Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) for members, the majority of commitments outlined go beyond the regulatory requirements set by the UK Gambling Commission. The handbook reflects the BGC’s proactive role in establishing high standards, emphasizing responsible and safer gambling measures across its membership.
Since the White Paper’s publication last year, the BGC has collaborated with the government and regulators on over 50 initiatives to further enhance industry standards. These efforts include proposals for frictionless spending checks, the creation of an industry Ombudsman to improve customer recourse, and expansion of the Bank Transfer Block project to give players greater control over their spending.
A primary focus of the handbook is safer gambling, with provisions around responsible advertising, support for safer gambling tools, and accessible signposting to assistance services. Key initiatives include the whistle-to-whistle ban on TV betting commercials during live sports events before the 9 p.m. watershed, a policy credited with reducing children’s exposure to such ads by 97%. Members have also committed to allocating 20% of TV, radio, and digital advertising to safer gambling messages, highlighting tools such as deposit limits and time-outs.
The Code Handbook covers diverse members within the BGC, from land-based operators, including casinos vital to tourism, to online gaming and high street bookmakers. These standards are exclusive to the regulated sector, standing in stark contrast to the rising risks associated with unregulated black market gambling, where a recent BGC-commissioned study estimated that 1.5 million Brits annually stake up to £4.3 billion with illegal operators.
Other measures within the handbook include detailed codes on game design, anti-money laundering practices, and high-value customer management, underscoring a commitment to ensuring that regulated betting remains free from crime. The BGC has also adopted codes originally developed by the ABB and Senet Group, supplemented by measures created in collaboration with leading charities.
The BGC, founded in 2019, now represents over 90% of the UK’s regulated betting and gaming sector, which supports approximately 109,000 jobs, contributes £4 billion in taxes, and generates £6.8 billion for the economy. According to the latest NHS Health Survey, problem gambling rates remain stable at 0.4% of the adult population in England, reflecting the positive impact of the BGC’s initiatives.
Betting and Gaming Council CEO Grainne Hurst, said: “I am delighted to announce this new Code Handbook, which comprises over five years of determined work to raise standards, across the board.
“It is also entirely fitting that we publish this landmark new Code Handbook on our fifth anniversary. The BGC was founded as the industry’s standards body, and this Handbook draws together our sector’s combined efforts, under the leadership of the BGC, to raise standards on safer gambling in the UK.
“With 20 Codes covering 100 measures, which all BGC members follow as a condition of membership, this comprehensive document should rightly be seen as the concrete demonstration of our member’s determination to deliver world-class standards.
“This Code Handbook is also not the final word on this work, because the commitment to raising standards does not stop for the BGC, or our members.
“That’s why we are working with the regulator and government on over 50 additional workstreams which will raise standards even further as part of the White Paper reforms.
“Taken alone, neither the recently published White Paper on gambling reform, or existing license conditions set by the Gambling Commission, can deliver the world class standards our industry strives for.
“It takes independent determination on behalf of our members, and collective ambition by the BGC to deliver that. This Handbook is the result of that determination and ambition.
“We are determined to deliver the foundations for a sustainable sector, built on stability, growth and diversity, ensuring our members set the global standard for our world-class industry.”
