🇬🇮Gibraltar gambling regulation

Legal framework at a glance

Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory with about 35,000 residents, hosts a disproportionately large remote gambling industry. The Gambling Act 2005 has governed licensing for two decades. A new Gambling Act 2025 has been passed to replace it, but in April 2026 the Minister told parliament it had not yet been fully brought into force, and the first prediction-market licence that spring was issued under the 2005 Act. The Gambling Division says existing licensees will be grandfathered when the new Act commences, and new categories of licence holder will have six months to obtain a licence. Check commencement status before relying on either Act.

The regulator

Two statutory roles share responsibility: the Licensing Authority, which is the designated Minister and decides on licences, and the Gambling Commissioner, the regulator responsible for supervision, compliance and enforcement. Both are supported by the Gambling Division. In 2026 the Commissioner agreed a regulatory settlement with a licensee over sanctions-screening failures and published guidance from a thematic review on sanctions screening.

Licensing

Licences are granted to a limited number of established operators rather than on an open-door basis, with a focus on reputable B2C and B2B businesses that have real substance in Gibraltar. The 2025 framework introduces new categories, including a dedicated regime for prediction markets: regulations published in July 2026 require event contracts that are clear and objectively settled, along with controls on manipulation, insider dealing and conflicts of interest. See gambling licensing models.

How Gibraltar fits with the UK market

Gibraltar’s industry grew largely by serving British customers. Since the UK introduced point-of-consumption licensing in 2014, any Gibraltar operator serving Britain must also hold a UK Gambling Commission licence and follow UK rules, including GAMSTOP, stake limits on online slots and UK advertising codes. In practice, that means a UK player using a Gibraltar-based brand is protected mainly by UK regulation, while the Gambling Commissioner focuses on matters such as corporate governance, anti-money laundering and sanctions screening, and the treatment of customers in other markets. Changes in UK policy, especially tax, therefore have a direct effect on Gibraltar’s economy, where the sector employs around 3,500 people directly.

Online products — what is and isn’t legal

Gibraltar licensees offer online casino, betting and poker, mainly to UK customers. Gibraltar residents can play with licensed operators that accept them. The Gibraltar Government Lottery is run by the government. What matters most for players abroad is whether the operator is licensed in their own country.

Taxation

Gibraltar taxes operators through a gambling duty on gross gaming yield plus licence fees and corporate tax. Because the UK taxes remote gambling where the customer is located, UK duty is the larger burden for UK-facing licensees: UK Remote Gaming Duty rose to 40% in 2026, which Gibraltar’s government warned could push effective rates very high for some operators. Check the current Gibraltar duty schedule for exact rates. See gambling taxation compared.

Advertising and marketing rules

Licensees must follow Gibraltar’s regulatory codes and the advertising rules of each market they serve. For UK customers, that means UK advertising codes and Gambling Commission requirements. See gambling advertising rules.

Player-protection requirements

Licensees must verify age and identity, protect customer funds, follow anti-money-laundering and sanctions rules and provide responsible-gambling tools such as limits and self-exclusion. UK-facing operators also meet UK standards, including GAMSTOP.

Self-exclusion

There is no Gibraltar national register; see our Gibraltar self-exclusion manual for how to cover every account.

What this means for players

Most people who encounter a Gibraltar licence are UK players using large, well-known brands. For them, the UK licence matters more than the Gibraltar one, because it brings UK rules on stakes, bonuses, affordability and GAMSTOP. For players elsewhere, a Gibraltar licence shows the company is supervised, but not that it is licensed in their country.

Practical points:

• Check both registers: confirm the Gibraltar licence on the Gambling Division’s register and, if you are in the UK, the Gambling Commission’s register; see how to check if a gambling site is licensed.
• Beware fake seals: some unlicensed sites display Gibraltar logos without holding a licence. The Gambling Division publishes consumer warnings.
• Complaints: use the operator’s process, then the dispute resolution body named in its terms. Our guide on how to file a complaint against a gambling operator explains what evidence to keep.
• Exclusion: use your national scheme first, then exclude with every account you hold.

Recent developments and what to watch

• Commencement of the Gambling Act 2025 and new licence categories.
• UK tax rises and their impact on Gibraltar’s economy, debated in the UK Parliament in March 2026.
• Prediction markets as a new regulated vertical.
• Sanctions and AML supervision, a 2026 regulatory focus.

For support services, see our Gibraltar help directory. This page is general information, not legal advice.