UKGC Continuing to Fight for a Safer Gambling Environment
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has revealed new plans to make the UK online gambling industry safer than it ever has been.
Hot on the heels of a recent report by the Commission which advices the Government on changes to Fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) and more, the UKGC has called for more action in its review of online gambling.
The report
The statistics in the report show that the gambling industry has increased by 10%, up to £4.7 billion in 2017, which public participation is up 3% over a three-year period.
The market is particularly huge in Britain, as CEO of the UKGC, Neil McArthur, explained:
“Britain has the largest regulated online gambling market in the world and we are continually looking for ways to make it even fairer and safer for consumers.
The proposals we have announced today are intended to protect children better, reduce the risks to vulnerable consumers and build on the measures we already impose on operators to know their customers and intervene at an earlier stage before consumers experience harm.”
What are the changes?
The changes the UKGC want to implement include age verification before freeplay versions of games are made available, and enhancing both the speed and the effectiveness of that verification process.
Also on the list is doing more to tackle unfair advertising strategies or terms and conditions, something the Commission started last year by handing out several high-profile fines to big industry names.
Tracey Crouch, the Minister for Sport and Civil Society expressed her support for the report, saying:
“We are committed to ensuring the gambling industry is safe and sustainable. These proposals for additional regulations will strengthen the controls already in place and further safeguard children and vulnerable people from the risks of online gambling.”