Bingo and prize gaming in Great Britain: the rules

Bingo in Great Britain is played in licensed bingo halls, in pubs and clubs, at charity nights, at the seaside and online. Each setting has its own rules on who can play, how much can be staked and how big the prizes can be. This guide sets out those rules, along with the rules for “prize gaming”: games where the prizes are fixed in advance. For the machines you find in bingo halls and arcades, see our gaming machines guide.

What makes a game bingo

The Gambling Commission applies three fundamental principles (opens in a new tab) to decide whether a game counts as bingo:

• it must be an equal chance game: players do not stake against a bank, and every ticket or chance has the same probability of success;
• it must involve some participation, such as marking your card or claiming a win, which distinguishes it from a straight lottery;
• it must have a clearly defined end point.

The Commission says players can choose some or all of their own numbers, as long as each player has a unique set and the game stays equal chance.

Bingo halls

The Commission describes licensed bingo premises as bingo halls and clubs that hold a bingo premises licence. The conditions on that licence, summarised in the Commission’s guidance to licensing authorities (opens in a new tab), include:

• a notice at every entrance saying that no one under 18 may play bingo on the premises;
• no direct entrance from a casino, adult gaming centre or betting shop (other than a track);
• in halls that admit under-18s, any over-18 area must be separated by a barrier, with notices and supervision, so that children and young people cannot reach category B or C machines;
• admission charges, the charges for bingo games and the rules of bingo must be displayed prominently;
• any cash machine must be placed so that you have to stop gambling to use it.

By default, bingo itself may not be offered between midnight and 9am, although there is no restriction on access to the gaming machines in bingo premises during those hours.

The Commission’s page on age restrictions in bingo premises (opens in a new tab) says the law does not stop under-18s entering bingo clubs, but they must not play bingo or any other form of gambling there, and the industry generally chooses to apply a no under-18s policy.

A Commission code of practice adds that gaming machines may be offered in licensed bingo premises only where there are also substantive facilities for bingo, that gambling must be supervised by staff at all times, and that the premises must be recognisable as a bingo venue.

Prize gaming: fixed prizes, small stakes

Under section 288 of the Gambling Act 2005, gaming is prize gaming if neither the nature nor the size of the prize depends on how many people play or how much is paid or raised. The Commission says the prizes are normally set by the operator before play starts. The Commission’s guide to prize gaming (opens in a new tab) says:

• licensed bingo halls, adult gaming centres and licensed family entertainment centres can offer any type of prize gaming;
• unlicensed family entertainment centres and travelling fairs can offer only equal chance prize gaming, and at a fair it must be an extra to the fair’s other amusements;
• outside licensed bingo halls, all chances must be sold on the premises and on one day, the game must be finished that day, and the result must be made public on the premises that day;
• prizes must not be based on the number of players or the amount raised, and the game must not be played online.

Prize gaming limits (Gambling Commission)

Venue	Fee per chance	Fees per game	Single prize	Prizes per game	Under-18s
Licensed bingo hall	£1	£500	£70, or £100 if under-18s are not allowed on the premises	£500	Cannot take part
Adult gaming centre	£1	£500	£70	£500	Cannot take part
Licensed family entertainment centre	£1	£500	£70	£500	Equal chance prize gaming only
Unlicensed family entertainment centre	£1	£500	£70	£500	Equal chance prize gaming only
Travelling fair	£1	£500	£70	£500	Can take part

The £1 limit applies to each chance, even if that chance gives you more than one way to win. The explanatory note to the Limits on Prize Gaming Regulations 2009 (opens in a new tab) gives the example of a bingo card with prizes for one line, two lines and a full house: it is still one chance, so the £1 maximum applies to the card. The Commission’s guidance to licensing authorities says children and young persons may take part in equal chance prize gaming only.

Bingo in pubs and clubs

Pubs, bars and other alcohol-licensed premises, and members’ clubs, commercial clubs and miners’ welfare institutes, can run bingo without a gambling licence as “exempt gaming”, provided they follow the rules.

In pubs

The Commission’s guide to bingo as exempt gaming in pubs (opens in a new tab) says:

• the game must be equal chance, and under-18s must not take part;
• the stake limit is £5 per person, per game, and all stakes must be returned as prizes;
• the pub cannot make a profit from the game, even for charity, and cannot charge participation or admission fees for the bingo;
• no deductions or levies from stakes or winnings, voluntary or compulsory, and no games linked with other premises.

A pub can charge entry to a wider event, such as a night with a band and a quiz, but people must be able to play the bingo without paying that fee.

In clubs

The Commission’s guide to bingo as exempt gaming in clubs (opens in a new tab) says the game must be equal chance, gaming must not be the main purpose of the club, every player must be a member or a member’s guest, and under-18s must not take part. The maximum participation fee is £1 per person per day, or £3 in a commercial club with a club machine permit.

The £2,000 “high turnover” limit

Bingo in pubs and clubs must not go over £2,000 in stakes or prizes in any seven-day period. If it does, it is “high turnover” bingo and the pub or club must tell the Commission. The Commission’s guidance to licensing authorities says a high turnover period lasts a year from the start of the seven days in which the threshold was passed. If a second one happens within that year, a bingo operating licence is needed.

Poker in pubs and clubs

Poker is also allowed as exempt gaming in pubs and clubs, within limits set by regulations. In pubs, the Commission’s poker toolkit (opens in a new tab) says the maximum stake is £5 per player per game, combined stakes must not exceed £100 a day, and the maximum prize is £100 a game. No charge may be made for taking part, including a compulsory meal charge or a “voluntary” contribution. In clubs that do not hold a club gaming permit, poker stakes are limited to £10 per person per game, £250 a day and £1,000 a week. Poker games cannot be linked across different premises. For poker tournaments at hotels and other temporary venues, and private games at home, see temporary and occasional use notices.

Charity and fundraising bingo

You can run bingo to raise money for a good cause without a licence, at a non-commercial event in a venue without a gambling premises licence, such as a school hall, place of worship or community space. The Commission’s guide to bingo for fundraising (opens in a new tab) says:

• the event is non-commercial only if all the proceeds go to the good cause, after reasonable costs such as prizes, printing bingo cards or refreshments;
• players must be told in advance which good cause the money is for;
• nobody may use the profits for private gain;
• under-18s can take part.

There are two ways to run it:

• Non-commercial equal chance gaming: players can be charged no more than £8 per person per day for all the games, including entry fees and stakes. Prizes must total less than £600, or up to £900 if it is the final of a series in which all the players have taken part.
• Non-commercial prize gaming: there are no limits on stakes, prizes or fees, but the prizes must not depend on the number of players or the amount raised.

Fundraising bingo cannot be played virtually or online. The Commission warns that running online bingo without a licence is breaking the law. For raffles and other fundraising lotteries, see lotteries, raffles and scratchcards.

Online bingo

Online bingo is gambling that needs a Gambling Commission licence, and the Commission says the minimum age for online gambling is 18. A bonus or free offer cannot mix bingo with another type of product such as casino or betting (see bonus rules), and you can choose to receive marketing about bingo but not casino (see how to stop gambling marketing). Check that a site is licensed before you play: see how to check a gambling licence.

Proposed changes to bingo premises

The government ran a consultation (opens in a new tab) from 15 October 2025 to 30 January 2026 on bingo premises licensing, alongside proposals on category D machines. It said many licensed bingo premises are largely taken up by gaming machines and are hard to tell apart from adult gaming centres. Citing Commission industry statistics, it said the share of the licensed bingo sector’s gross gambling yield that comes from gaming machines rose from 44% in the year to March 2014 to 63% in the year to March 2024.

The consultation proposed that a minimum proportion of floor space in every licensed bingo venue be set aside as a “bingo area”. When we checked on 12 November 2026, the government page said it was analysing the feedback. No outcome had been published.

Separately, Bingo Duty was abolished from 1 April 2026. See tax on gambling winnings for the duties gambling businesses pay.

Taking a break

To stop playing in bingo halls, the Bingo Industry Self-Exclusion Scheme covers licensed land-based bingo premises across Great Britain: see self-exclusion from betting shops, casinos, bingo and arcades. For online bingo, use GAMSTOP and the safer gambling tools on your account. Free support is available from the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 (England and Scotland) and the NHS All-Wales Gambling Helpline on 0808 2819 265.

The rules here apply in England, Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland has its own gambling law: see gambling law in Northern Ireland.

Related guides

• Gaming machines in Great Britain: categories, stakes and age rules — Land-based gaming machine categories, maximum stakes and prizes, venues and age rules.
• Lotteries, raffles and scratchcards: the rules in Great Britain — The National Lottery, charity lotteries, raffles and prize draws: ages and limits.
• Poker events, race nights and betting at sports grounds: temporary and occasional use notices — How poker tournaments, betting at sports grounds and fundraising nights can run without a premises licence.

All guides