The Commission was formally established in October 2005 and moved to offices in Birmingham in June 2006. Its new responsibilities and powers will be taken on in stages as the provisions of the Act are introduced by the Government, and it will be fully operational by the end of 2007. Meanwhile, it will continue to operate under the previous legislation.

The Gambling Commission is a Non-Departmental Public Body, sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It operates at arm`s length from government and its advice is independent. Its work is funded mainly by licence fees from the gambling industry.
The Gambling Commission regulates gambling in the public interest. It does so by keeping crime out of gambling, by ensuring that gambling is conducted fairly and openly, and by protecting children and vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling. The Commission also provides independent advice to government on gambling in Britain.

All of these licenses may be issued for terrestrial or remote gambling, or both. Remote licenses will remain in effect indefinitely unless declared otherwise by the Gambling Commission. Key individuals within applicant companies will also require personal licenses. The Gambling Commission began accepting applications for all sorts of licenses on January 2, 2006, but the first wave of licenses will not be awarded until September 2007, at which point the Gambling Commission will have become fully operational. As of the time of this writing, the initial and annual fees for remote and personal licenses have not yet been decided. The Gambling Act will also have significant implications on gambling advertising. Gaming and betting companies that do not hold a UK license will not be permitted to advertise their services in the UK.