UKGC Outlines Future Direction as Its Gambling Consultation Ends
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:The United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) Director of Policy Ian Angus has made a speech to the Lotteries Council where he outlined an update on the consultations with industry stakeholders regarding the direction of travel for the whole gambling industry in the region.
This speech comes after the UKGC welcomed gaming industry stakeholders expressing their views on gambling issues during a consultation period, which is due to end on October 18th.
He explained that any future decisions on the gambling industry following these consultations are going to be published in 2024 and are likely to be implemented in the same year.
When the proposed changes are introduced, it will mean there will be amendments to the Licence Condition and Codes of Practice (LCCP), which governs the actions of all licensed live casinos and gambling sites in the UK and provides guidelines that gaming operators must adhere to.
I want to just mention 2024. As we move into the new year, we’ll begin to see some of the more substantive changes start to come into effect as consultations publish responses. There will be changes to the LCCP after we review the submissions received regarding the development of an ombudsman scheme, and we will continue to make progress with further consultations. So, it will be an incredibly busy year but one we hope will be an incredibly important year in continuing to make gambling safer, fairer and crime-free.
Four Core Consultation Areas
When the UKGC initiated the consultation process, it asked for input from industry stakeholders on four key topics.
The UKGC is looking at the effectiveness of retail age verification, and the LCCP has indicated it wants operators to train staff to check that customers look at least 25 years old, higher than the 21 limits currently in the rules.
The next subject put out to consultation was to reduce the intensity of play for customers, including ways to slow down gameplay and give customers a clearer understanding of the slot titles they play.
Thirdly, to increase the choices that customers have and let them opt in to solely receive product information that they are interested in.
The last area included in the consultation process is financial vulnerability checks, where gaming operators can carry out financial risk assessments on players so that they are not placed in a position where they may be susceptible to gambling addiction or related harm.
Topics for the Next Consultation Period
Once the first consultation process has been completed, the UKGC will commence a second consultation process. Angus told the audience the focus of these would be Socially Responsible initiatives, including bonuses and free bets and what effect they have on players while gambling.
The UKGC also wants to hear from stakeholders on the subject of Gambling Management Tools, in particular, how effective deposit limits are and when should they be used.
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