This was not always the case. It’s only been since 2001 that the then chancellor of the exchequer of the UK, Gordon Brown, scrapped the current tax levy on sports and casino gambling winnings.
So why the change? And are there ever situations in which you might be taxed? What if you win a lottery or, in the case of online casinos, a huge jackpot? Surely, if you get 2 million in the bank, the UK government will ask for a little of it back? What if I consider myself a professional gambler?
The simple answer is that you do not need to declare or pay Taxes on gambling winnings, full stop. The long answer is that you should always be careful to be able to prove your winnings and be careful how you spend your winnings afterwards – as that can be taxable.
Here’s everything you need to know about taxes on casino winnings in the UK.
Why are casinos winning tax-free in the UK?
If you are a UK casino player and win big, you are exempt from paying any of the following taxes:
- Capital Gains Tax
- Income Tax
- National Insurance
And while you may be worried when researching that the UK Government has a whole page dedicated to gambling tax submissions, this page isn’t for you. The UK government is making plenty of money on gambling taxes; it’s just taxing the online casinos instead of the punter.
The UK doesn’t tax betting because it wouldn’t make any revenue
As explained by Forbes far more effectively than us, the logic is still more or less sound: gambling, by definition, is not a money-making scheme. The RTP of the casino game machines is made so that the house always wins over the long term.
In other words, the winnings of some people are generally offset by the losses of many others.
Microgaming can afford to pay out a £5 million Mega Moolah slots jackpot because it has accumulated twice that in real money bets on the machine – remember, only a small percentage of your bet goes towards the jackpot.
The remaining money is spread over the casino and the game studios.
Who pays gambling taxes in the UK?
If you want to offer gambling services in the UK, and it doesn’t matter if it’s UK slots, poker, or even a lottery, you have to get a Gambling License from the Gambling Commission.
Casinos, poker and betting sites have to pay taxes on their profits. HMRC gets 15% of all revenue from UK players who visit licensed casinos, bingo or gambling sites.
In 2019 alone, the UK Gambling industry was estimated to be worth £14.3 billion, with 30% of that generated by the national lottery and scratch cards – a UK government-run gambling operation.
We are trying to say that the UK Government is taking a very healthy slice of tax from Gambling, and you should almost certainly not worry about keeping your slice to yourself.
Will I be taxed if I am a professional UK Gambler?
No. You will not be taxed on casino winning in the UK, whether you bet £10 a week or try to make a living from gambling sites.
Our advice is very narrowly looking at traditional gambling games such as video slots, blackjack, sports betting, bingo, lotteries, or poker. We cannot offer advice if you do spread betting, financial betting, or trade in the stock market.
Generally speaking, it is almost impossible to be a ‘professional’ gambler at casinos – because you will lose more over the long term than you win.
The trick is in knowing when to walk away and enjoy your tax-free UK casino winnings rather than play it back into the gambling sites.
What if I live in Northern Ireland, Wales, or Scotland?
You can get your casino winnings tax-free if you live in the United Kingdom. Currently, that includes the nations of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
These countries have no separate rules or regulations regarding gambling taxation despite each having its own governing bodies.
Gambling laws are currently held and made by the UK Parliament and, as such, apply to all.
Why you should keep a record of any big wins
There is no better place to gamble than in the UK. It’s one of the few countries worldwide that does not tax your casino winnings.
But if you suddenly have an extra £10,000, £300,000 or £1 million in your bank account, guess who will come knocking and asking some questions?
HMRC has a habit of popping out of the woodwork when you least expect it, and it’s good to be prepared. In other words, you need to have records of all your big wins – whether that’s screenshots, casino accounts, or deposit and withdrawal amounts.
It’s a good habit to get into anyway. It will help you keep track of your gambling budget and make sure you realise when you need to take a break if you are losing more than you are winning.
Generally speaking, if you’ve won more than 30-40% of your total monthly wage, get some proof of the win.
The win could be years old, and you may have closed the casino account or forgotten even which casino you’ve won. And “I don’t know” is not an acceptable answer on an HMRC form.
When Casino Winning Are Taxable in The UK
If you are lucky enough to win a large sum of money – say a million and a half from the Dream Drop Jackpot slots – your first instinct may be to share your good fortune.
After all, every penny of your gambling winning is tax-free to do as you like, right?
Up to a point. Most of us won’t see those kinds of sums of money, and it may not occur to us that there’s a difference between buying a house for ourselves and buying a house to rent out or even give to family.
As the Tax Scout happily point out; if you are then making money from your winnings, that money is taxable. Example include:
- You can only give £3,000 as a ‘gift’ tax-free. Any more is taxable by the person receiving the gift
- Any interest accumulated on your account from winnings is taxable
- You will have to pay income tax on any investments you make with your winnings
- Your winnings become part of your estate and, therefore, will be liable to inheritance tax when you die
If you are in a happy situation where you’ve won enough gambling to invest and retire, then congratulations! You may not be able to lead a tax-free life, but it’s nothing a good accountant won’t be able to fix.
Always play responsibly
As long as you keep good records and gamble responsibly, you are lucky to live in a country that knows it’s better to tax those making a profit out of gambling rather than those of us having fun and hoping for a better day than yesterday.
We have some brilliant UK casinos for you to enjoy here at LuckyMobileSlots.com, all fully licensed and governed by the rules of laws of the British Isles.
You don’t get much safer, and if you do win, you know that the casinos need to keep all records of their wins and losses, allowing you to enjoy your tax-free casino winnings with plenty of peace of mind.
Our favourite UK Casino? Currently, that has to be Casumo Casino, which has given all Lucky Mobile Slots players an exclusive and bigger Casumo UK Bonus to enjoy all their games for longer.
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