Could the UK get hit by another restriction
December 26, 2019
What can we expect?
Keeping up with the UK, gambling regulations is not an easy task. And in recent years we have has seen some huge business impact twist and turns to affect the industry. Where the UK gambling commission (UKGC) spearhead the implementation from idea to completion. However, now we learn that some UK parliamentarians are not completely satisfied with the work the organisation accomplished. And are calling for even more regulations in place. Although, after looking through the request, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) asking for. One thing is quite obvious; they have not read through the UKGC game plan and understood the road map.
Fishing expedition
Indeed, some topics brought up by APPG is no more than fishing for attention. Where they, for instance, ask for a ban on credit cards & pay by phone to fund online player accounts. Which goes to show, if APPG had bothered to check UKGC’s work and what’s under review already. They would have found that just that topic is being under revision and consultation. But also, they are calling for some drastic measures surrounding sponsorship and the teams. By saying that all forms of pitch-side campaigns targeting gambling need to stop. But also that the teams itself cant bring in a gambling partner to sponsor the team. And this is only the tip of the iceberg, and APPG has a bag full of restrictions they like to implement. With the main purpose to “urgently introduce new gambling legislation with a focus on harm prevention”.
The people need to have a say
We all remember the adjustment of the fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBT) in betting shops when it decreased from £100 to £2. And now the parliamentary group like to see the same thing happen to the online sector. Meaning that there is no justification for having a different limit between offline and online. However, what is one of the more significant differences between the two options. Online you present with much more information about responsible gambling, with multiple tools at your disposal. But, the same procedure in betting shops is far more time-consuming. In the end, the UKGC has done good work so far on its three-year national Strategy to reduce gambling harms. And once again, the regulatory body gets criticism for its work that still needs to come to completion.