After becoming dissatisfied with the failure of online casinos and bookmakers to protect vulnerable individuals and addicts, the Gambling Commission in the United Kingdom intends to impose stricter regulations on the industry. Rather than leaving it up to the businesses in question to determine how to protect customers from harm, the regulatory body will begin providing operators with clear instructions on how to ensure that customers are not harmed by taking a prescriptive approach.
Andrew Rhodes, the Gambling Commission’s chief executive, stated that the regulator was forced to act because firms were not doing enough, despite the imminent threat of a government review of gambling laws, which could result in stricter regulation. According to Rhodes, the regulator was forced to act because businesses were not doing enough.
William Hill recently revealed that it had set aside £15 million to cover any potential charges that may arise as a result of the Gambling Commission’s review of its license. If the regulatory body fined the bookmaker in that amount, it would be the most severe sanction ever imposed on a British operator.
Customers of the online casino 888, which is currently in the process of acquiring William Hill, suffered massive losses during the height of the Covid pandemic, which resulted in 888 being fined £9.4 million last month for multiple failings that resulted in those losses. According to Rhodes, the regulator’s more prescriptive approach will ensure that businesses understand the steps they must take to avoid additional penalties, the number of which has risen dramatically in recent years.
“Our enforcement cases reveal that certain operators are still not doing enough to prevent gaming harm,” Rhodes says.
“As a result of these new guidelines, which were developed after extensive consultation, our expectations are outlined in even clearer language.”
“We expect operators to detect and address gambling harms in a timely, appropriate, and effective manner, and if they fail to do so, we will not hesitate to take harsh action against them,” the statement said.
Under the new rules, bookies and online casinos will be required to monitor a specific range of symptoms that a customer is suffering harm as a result of their gaming, flag alarming signs, and take action as soon as possible. Furthermore, they will be required to make efforts to avoid promoting bonus offers to clients who are thought to be at risk of developing a gambling disorder. The commission anticipates that they will present evidence of their progress on a regular basis. It plans to provide clarification on how to comply with the requirements in June, in advance of the rules’ implementation on September 12th.
“We believe that enhanced spending checks should be used online to identify those showing signs of problem gambling and to focus in on those at risk, so that swift interventions can take place,” said a Betting and Gaming Council spokesperson. “We believe that enhanced spending checks should be used online to identify individuals who exhibit signs of problem gambling.”
According to research, 90 percent of people do not comply with information requests; thus, it is critical that this be targeted so that we do not interfere with the personal freedoms of the vast majority of people who gamble safely and responsibly. “However, it is critical that we target this so that we do not infringe on the personal freedoms of the vast majority of people who gamble safely and responsibly.”