The CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has warned the UK Government that it risks strong disapproval if it compiles its decision on the country’s gambling regulation with the opinion of anti-gambling campaigners.
Michael Dugher, who currently chairs the trade body representing the UK legal gambling sector, has shared his view on political opinion and commentaries regarding the Local Election results revealed in May. According to him, the results showed predictable mid-term problems and still, he believes that the results had not been “entirely catastrophic”, although there had been warning signs of trouble ahead.
The country’s Government may be setting itself up for failure right at the time when it is expected to announce the findings of its review of the local gambling laws, Mr Dugher claims. As Casino Guardian reported, there have been previous warnings that a stricter regulatory approach could trigger further growth of the black gambling market in the UK – an opinion that has been backed by a new survey among British gamblers.
According to a new YouGov survey, about 65% of local gamblers believe there is a massive risk linked to the proposed stricter gambling rules.
Many of them believe that imposing some limits on the amount of money that could be placed as bets with local gambling companies would push more people to gamble online using the services of illegal platforms, which do not hold operating licences from the local regulators and are not regulated by them. More than half of the British gamblers who took part in the aforementioned survey believe that the UK should not limit the amount of money they can place as bets.
CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council Warns of the Public’s Strong Disapproval
The results of the survey have been revealed at a time when the chair of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) – Marcus Boyle – has hinted that the country’s gambling regulator will insist on the implementation of tougher penalties against companies that violate the rules.
As cited by The Times, Mr Boyle stated that the gambling watchdog of the UK was willing to make operators do more than just stick to what he described as “the lowest possible compliance”. He further noted that licensed gambling operators can expect some cumulative sanctions packages in case they breach the rules. These packages could include not only monetary fines but also some restrictive measures regarding the companies’ operating permits, licence suspensions, etc.
Mr Boyle has been seeking further support for a measure requiring more data on Brits’ gambling habits that would provide the regulatory body with a better understanding of how local people gamble and how many of them are facing some difficulties linked to gambling addiction. The proposed measure is aimed at increasing the UKGC data sources and studying the link between gambling and suicide. However, according to Mr Boyle, such information should be available to the country’s Government before it brings reforms to the existing gambling legislation.
As mentioned above, the CEO of the licensed gambling sector’s trade body, Michael Dugher, has commented on the YouGov survey’s findings. He explained that the survey results proved that British gamblers would not simply comply with the Government’s moves should it decide to proceed and impose stricter rules on the sector, especially considering the fact that the more restrictive rules are likely to interfere with customers’ freedom and privacy.
- Author
Daniel Williams
