The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has released advice it presented to the Government during the Gambling Review. The advice aims to enhance protection for individuals who may be susceptible to gambling harm, while also promoting fairness in gambling for all consumers. It contains recommendations for the Government and commitments from the Commission.
Being the official advisor to the Secretary of State on gambling matters, the Commission analyzed multiple sources of evidence to prepare the advice. Additionally, the Commission pledged to impose stricter requirements on operators. As a part of this effort, it will seek feedback from stakeholders on measures to improve safety, such as:
- To prevent excessive or harmful gambling, it is important to ensure that bonus offers and incentives are not misleading
- There should be stricter product controls to ensure the safety of online games
- Operators must identify and assist financially vulnerable consumers, and frictionless checks that don’t disrupt their experience should be implemented.
The government should consider legislative changes to the following:
- setting limits on online slot stakes
- establishing an independent ombudsman for customer grievances
- A statutory levy should be introduced to provide adequate funding for research, education, and treatment
- regulator should be better funded and better equipped to tackle illegal gambling, while also developing data-driven approaches to ensure operator compliance and safer gambling
