The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has ramped up its efforts to tackle financial harm and protect vulnerable players through recent regulations of affordability checks and stake limits. While much of the conversation has focused on high-stakes gambling and online slot caps, a quieter but equally critical question looms: could minimum deposit casinos be the next target of regulatory scrutiny?
The Appeal and Risk of Low-Deposit Casinos
Low-deposit casinos in the UK, like those found here, are often marketed with minimums as low as £1 to £5. They have gained traction in recent years due to their easy access to online gambling. These online casinos promise entertainment on a budget and attract users with minimal financial barriers.
However, industry analysts and regulators are beginning to question whether these sites truly promote safer gambling — or simply mask bigger risks.
The concern is not just the size of the deposits but who these casinos are targeting. With sleek mobile interfaces, aggressive bonuses, and social media advertising, there’s growing suspicion that £5 or £10 deposit platforms are being used to attract younger, lower-income, or more financially vulnerable users. The lower entry point can create an illusion of safety while enabling frequent, potentially compulsive play.
Affordability Checks in the Spotlight
The UKGC’s revised framework rolled out in 2025, imposed strict mandatory affordability checks for players with a net deposit threshold of £150 or more.
These checks are designed to assess a player’s financial situation and ensure gambling remains within sustainable limits. But herein lies a loophole: minimum deposit casinos may enable users to fly under the radar of these checks, especially if play is frequent but in small bursts across multiple online casinos.
The focus of the UKGC has recently been to safeguard high-roller players with a proactive approach to early identification of at-risk behaviour.
Another area of focus has been younger and vulnerable players. These have been better protected by imposing a £2 max bet limit on slot machines for all players between the ages of 18 to 24.
As part of its strategy to close loopholes, UK casinos with low deposit limits could be the next focus, especially if evidence emerges that they encourage harmful patterns among specific demographics.
Are Low-Deposit Casinos Sidestepping Regulation?
There’s a growing body of anecdotal and industry evidence suggesting that minimum deposit casinos may be inadvertently sidestepping the UKGC’s broader regulatory intent. By focusing on small, repeat transactions, these platforms could evade thresholds for affordability checks. Moreover, they may provide an on-ramp for problematic behaviour in players who would otherwise be flagged under more traditional deposit or loss models.
Campaigners for safer gambling argue that the ease of access to these casinos diminishes the effectiveness of new regulations. A player making twenty £5 deposits across several sites may pose the same risk as one who deposits £100 at a single site — yet only the latter might trigger formal checks under current rules.
What Could Regulation Look Like?
If the UKGC turns its attention to minimum deposit casinos, future regulation could take several forms:
One option could be to look at the German gambling license(Glücksspielstaatsvertrag), which has a strict €1.000 monthly gambling limit across all licensed online casinos. Some players can extend the limit by shoving proof that they can afford this, but few choose to do so. A similar option for the UK can be an efficient option to regulate smaller transactions across multiple gambling sites, which can quickly add up to larger amounts.
Such changes would align with the UKGC’s stated aim of reducing financial harm across the spectrum of online gambling behaviour.
