Advance findings — full report coming
The State of Compliance
OCSA has been auditing DCMS Code signatories ahead of the 20 May 2026 implementation deadline. What we found should concern every operator, consumer and policymaker with an interest in this sector.
Audit period
May 2026
OCSA conducted this audit sweep in May 2026 ahead of the 20 May implementation deadline. Individual operator findings are date-stamped. Compliance positions may have changed since the date of audit.
A note on methodology
A written assertion of compliance is not a finding of compliance. OCSA's methodology assesses what is publicly visible and verifiable by players — not what operators declare about their own practices. The Code requires protections to be demonstrable, not merely declared.
<45%
Of active operators signedFewer than half of the sector's 400+ operators have signed the Code at all
~9%
Make any reference to itOf 177 signatories, around 16 make any mention of the Code on their public-facing websites
1
Substantive implementation foundOne operator, from 177 signatories audited, has treated the Code as the commitment it is from the day they signed — and their site shows it
The Code does not ask operators to become compliant by 20 May. It asks operators to operate compliantly from the moment they sign — with 20 May as the deadline for any remaining implementation work.
That distinction matters. An operator who signed six months ago and whose website shows no evidence of implementation has not been working towards compliance in good faith. The commitment was made on the day they signed.
OCSA's findings are based on publicly visible information on operator websites. We report what players can see — because that is what the Code requires operators to make visible.
The most common gaps we are finding
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Free entry route not visible on competition pages — buried in terms and conditions or absent entirelyCode clause 2.4 — ASA CAP Code 8.17.2
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No consolidated player protections statement published on the operator's websiteCode clause 3.4 — the most consistently missed requirement
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Spend limits, credit card controls and account suspension mechanisms not described to playersCode clauses 1.3 – 1.5
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No signposting of support services for players experiencing harmCode clause 1.8
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App-based operators creating closed ecosystems where Code transparency requirements cannot effectively reach playersAn emerging policy gap OCSA has raised with DCMS directly
20 May 2026 — full implementation deadlineThe deadline is the beginning of scrutiny, not the end of it.
2 days away
As a signatory to the DCMS Voluntary Code of Good Practice, OCSA is obliged to promote compliance with the Code and to support operators in implementing its requirements. The State of Compliance report is part of that obligation — a factual record of what is publicly visible on operator websites, date-stamped and based entirely on information available to any player or member of the public. All operators have been contacted by OCSA in fulfilment of that obligation. Operators are invited to respond to any finding at info@ocsa.org.uk.
