Over the past few years, problem gambling and gambling-related harm has become one of the hottest topics in the British gambling industry, along with customer protection measures.
Lately, local authorities and charity organisations focused on customer protection have raised a red flag that the number of compulsive gamblers and players who have been put at risk of becoming problem gamblers has been constantly rising. That is exactly the reason why competent authorities have taken measures to deal with spreading gambling-related harm that could lead to some serious consequences for local players.
Problem Gambling in the UK
The UK Gambling Commission released a 2017 report, according to which over 2 million people in the country are either gambling addicts or are put at risk of becoming such. The local gambling industry regulator called for the Government and the industry to take more serious measures in order to deal with spreading gambling addictions among local customers.
The controversial fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) have been blamed for the rising number of gambling addicts, mostly because of the quick gameplay, flashing lights and featured sounds especially aimed at attracting players’ attention and keeping it as long as possible. The large maximum stakes featured by the machines have also been blamed for the increasing number of players who got hurt by problem gambling behaviour. Currently, FOBTs allow customers to place a maximum bet of £100 every 20 seconds.
Even more concerning is the fact that more and more children have become victims of gambling addictions. According to a research that the UK Gambling Commission published less than a month ago, children usually experience gambling in situations without actually realising the possible negative consequences. The report released by the UK gambling regulatory body in the mid-December also showed the most common forms of gambling that children are attracted to, and provided some details about their gambling habits and gambling risks awareness.
UKGC Aims at Better Customer Protection
The UK Gambling Commission, which is currently the main gambling regulatory body in the country, has always been primarily focused on keeping the local gambling market safe and trustworthy for players. As Casino Guardian has earlier reported, the watchdog has recently revealed its strategy for the upcoming three years, setting customer protection as one of its paramount goals for the period from 2018 to 2021.
UKGC Says Problem Gambling Rates Are Concerning
In August 2017, the UK Gambling Commission urged all players in the local gambling industry to become more focused on addressing the eventual gambling-related harm that could be inflicted to society. At the time when the gambling regulatory body raised a red flag about the possible gambling-related harm that could hurt customers, it also called the industry players to be more committed to players’ protection.
The major gambling regulatory body in the UK provided thorough analysis of gambling across the country for the first time ever, by examining the levels of participation, the customers’ behaviour and gambling habits, as well as the number of players who have been classified as problem gamblers or have been put at risk of becoming gambling addicts.
At the time when the results of the survey were revealed, the Executive Director of the UKGC Tim Miller explained that the overall problem gambling rates in the UK have remained relatively stable according to statistics, but the research carried out by the Commission showed that the number of people who were put at risk or were already dealing with problem gambling behaviour has been constantly rising.
UKGC New Three-Year Strategy
In the mid-November, the UK Gambling Commission revealed a new strategy aimed at better regulation of the local gambling market for the next three years.
As already reported by Casino Guardian, the 2018-2021 strategy of the major UK gambling regulatory authority was rolled out to unveil the watchdog’s commitment in five key areas. The UKGC is aimed at protecting the customers’ interests, especially of the ones put at risk. More serious sanctions are to be imposed on gambling companies, including lotteries, which fail to provide fair and safe services to customers. In addition, the UK Gambling Commission remains focused on preventing gambling-related harm from being inflicted on consumers and the wider public.
What is more, the UK gambling regulator is to raise the standards in the gambling market, and is to remain focused on resolving customer complaints and disputes as quickly as possible. Improvements are to be brought in the way the Commission itself conducts its regulatory activities, with further measures to be adopted by the watchdog to help industry comply with local gambling legislation.
Last, but not least, the UK Gambling Commission intends to optimise the returns to good causes by regulating in a way that would deliver qualitative lottery services to customers and good causes.
UKGC Not Happy with Customer Protection Measures’ Upgrade Pace
In November 2017, the major gambling regulator in the UK rebuked the largest gambling operators, saying that the pace of changes needed to protect local customers from gambling-related harm has been “too slow”.
The UK Gambling Commission has warned that gambling operators that fail to protect local players from possible negative consequences related to gambling risk their long-term future in the sector. At the time when the UKGC issued this warning, it had its annual Raising Standards conference in Birmingham – an event which is held as part of the watchdog’s strategy to put its licensees under some pressure in order to guarantee fair, safe and transparent gambling services to customers.
At the time, the Chief Executive Officer of the Gambling Commission, Sarah Harrison, commented that progress was made in 2017, but the levels of fairness and safety for customers did not improve much. Ms. Harrison explained the regulatory body’s belief that customer experience has not been what it is supposed to be, so changes need to be implemented. She highlighted the fact that changes are needed, and the watchdog would be expecting gambling operators to give their best in order to provide customers with fairness and transparency to guarantee excellent and safe gaming experience.
Possible FOBTs Crackdown Pending on the UK Gambling Industry
At the end of October, the Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) published the results of the long-expected review of the gambling industry. The review has been specifically focused on local fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) which have recently caused a lot of controversy in the industry and were called some of the most addictive forms of gambling available in the UK.
Fixed-odds betting machines have long been criticised due to their very addictive character, and mostly about the large maximum stakes allowed to be placed. As mentioned above, for the time being, the maximum bet allowed to be placed every 20 seconds on such machines by players amounts to £100.
The British Government is focused on raising the player protection standards in the remote gambling market, with the UKGC remaining engaged with the consultations on the changes to be implemented in the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice over the upcoming year. In addition, charity organisations, including GambleAware and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), are to join forces with local broadcasters and gambling industry groups to pursue one common goal – keeping the UK gambling market safe and local advertising campaigns – responsible.
- Author
Daniel Williams
