Published: 15 Jul 2025 | Updated: 1 Dec 2025
More than 37 million people in the UK are estimated to pay income tax, which covers money received through working for an employer, being self-employed, owning properties, and other channels. But what about your casino winnings? Do you need to pay tax on these as well as your other earnings?
If you’re a UK taxpayer, and you play games at online casinos, you need to understand the rules to make sure you’re following official rules. Read our guide to learn:
- Whether you need to pay tax on any winnings you receive from a casino
- How His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) views casino winnings
- Why professional bettors (e.g. high-earning poker players) should keep records of gambling-related income
Tax on UK Casino Winnings Explained
If you’ve won a large cash prize at an online casino, you may worry that you need to report it to HMRC (especially if you’re self-employed and responsible for managing your own taxes).
But in the UK, you don’t need to pay taxes on any casino winnings. No matter how much you might win on a live casino game, a slot, or anything else, you’re under no obligation to report it to HMRC or pay tax as you would with other types of income.
However, there was a time when customers did incur tax fees on winnings. Before 2001, bookmakers paid a 6.75% tax on all winning bets in the UK — which they passed onto bettors as a 9% charge. But then-chancellor Gordon Brown abolished this at the start of the 21st century, demanding gambling businesses pay 15% tax on gross profits instead.
This change saved bettors from needing to pay tax and placed that responsibility on the companies, which is still the case today. However, the UK government may introduce a new tax structure for the remote gambling industry, which bettors and operators should be aware of.
HMRC’s Views on Casino Winnings and Tax
HMRC has strict rules in place on tax in the UK. Whether you’re employed by a business or work for yourself, any earnings you receive must be declared for tax purposes.
But if you top up your working income with casino winnings, you don’t need to notify HMRC about this. It does not recognise gambling as a trade — even if you win large amounts on slots or other games, online or offline, you’re under no obligation to pay tax.
How about if you play professionally, such as taking part in poker tournaments at physical casino venues? You’re not expected to pay taxes on any winnings you accumulate, regardless of their size or frequency.
Why Professional Players Should Keep Records
If you’re a professional player, you may still want to keep a record of any winnings you collect through games for your own reference. This can be helpful to encourage safe play: tracking the amount of money you wager and your winnings will help you monitor your gambling activities.
However, HMRC may require you to pay tax on any money you receive through:
- Tournament sponsorships from businesses
- Taking part in promotions for casinos or companies in other industries
- Appearing at an event (such as the launch of a gambling app) as a paid guest
If you receive payment for any of these or similar arrangements, you must keep a detailed record and check with HMRC to find out if you’ll pay tax on the earnings.
Additionally, any interest earned on investments made with casino winnings may be taxable, too. If in doubt, contact HMRC.
Conclusion
Tax can be a complicated area, particularly for people who are self-employed or have multiple revenue streams. At the time of writing, though, you can keep your casino winnings without paying tax on them.
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