The United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) has issued gambling provider Stakelogic a fine after the game provider was deemed to be in violation of slot speed regulations.
The regulator slapped the company with a penalty of £122,835, after it found it in contravention of the 2.5 second rule, which represents the amount of time that must elapse between game cycles.
Popular slot found running at 1.97 seconds per spin
The breach involved a rule requiring a minimum 2.5-second interval between game cycles. The company self-reported that its slot, Tiger Temple 88, had been operating with spins lasting 1.97 seconds. A subsequent internal review found 15 additional titles also failed to meet the minimum spin speed requirement, although each exceeded the limit by smaller margins.
The rule is contained in the UKGC’s Remote Gambling and Software Technical Standards (RTS), specifically RTS 14D, which was introduced following the UKGC’s 2021 consultation on online slot design.
In the passage, it states: “It must be a minimum of 2.5 seconds from the time a game is started until the next game cycle can be commenced. It must always be necessary to release and then depress the ‘start button’ or take equivalent action to commence a game cycle.”
The accompanying implementation guidance further explains: “A game cycle starts when a player depresses the ‘start button’… and ends when all money or money’s worth staked or won during the game has been either lost or delivered to, or made available for collection by the player…”
While the UKGC has previously sanctioned operators for prohibited slot features such as autoplay and losses disguised as wins, published enforcement notices have rarely, if ever, focused specifically on breaches of the regulator’s 2.5-second minimum spin speed requirement.
Manual stopwatch technique deemed unacceptable
Director of Enforcement and Intelligence at the UKGC, John Pierce, explained why Stakelogic had been fined and warned other operators of following their example.
In a statement, he said: “With all the technological resources available to an online gambling business, it is unacceptable that Stakelogic were relying on a manual stopwatch to measure the speed of their games.
“We would urge all operators to take careful note of this case and ensure they have effective testing practices in place to ensure they are meeting all the standards we require.”
Under the agreement, Stakelogic will make a payment of £122,835 to the Consolidated Fund and reimburse the UKGC for the costs of its investigation. The supplier acknowledged the breaches, worked with the regulator throughout the inquiry, and said it would enhance its quality assurance controls and incident response procedures to help prevent similar issues.
The regulator argues faster game cycles allow players to place more bets in less time, increasing the risk of impulsive gambling and rapid losses. The limit, which mirrors the minimum spin speed on land-based gaming machines, was introduced alongside bans on autoplay, turbo play and other features designed to accelerate gameplay.
UKGC criticised for failing to block illegal betting sites
Elsewhere, a British anti-gambling advocacy group has accused the UKGCof failing to take action against the unlicensed Santeda gambling network despite being alerted to its activities earlier this year. The Campaign to End Gambling Ads (CEGA), led by Will Prochaska, said its investigation found that MyStake and Donbet remained accessible to UK players after the regulator was informed about the sites in 2025.
CEGA also alleged that games from 18 UK Gambling Commission-licensed suppliers appeared on the offshore platforms, including five companies that are members of the Betting and Gaming Council. The BGC told Bloomberg that some of the games appeared to be non-functional, while others may have been the result of intellectual property theft rather than authorized distribution.
The allegations come days after several websites linked to the Santeda network went offline following reports that multiple business-to-business suppliers had withdrawn their content from the platforms. Industry publication NEXT.io first reported the developments, which suggested suppliers may have been contacted as part of an investigation.
The timing also coincides with the House of Lords Liaison Committee’s inquiry into the social and economic impact of gambling, where supporters and critics of the industry are due to present evidence. Illegal gambling has long been a point of contention in debates over regulation, with licensed operators arguing that excessive restrictions risk driving consumers toward unregulated sites.
CEGA highlighted links between MyStake, Donbet and several gambling-related deaths examined at inquests, including that of Ollie Long in 2024. “It is horrifying that more than two years on from his death, illegal sites directly linked to his case remain accessible in the UK, and appear to be being supplied by the licensed sector, raising serious questions about the effectiveness of current regulation and enforcement,” his brother, Chris Long, said.
