Summary
- UKGC launched a consultation process on 28 Feb to focus on key areas
- Areas included the expansion of GAMSTOP and reporting of gambling related suicides
- The consultation process came to an end on May 23
The United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) which is the gaming regulator in the UK decided to launch a consultation process on Feb 28 with the objective of focusing and studying key areas that impacted the overall gambling industry.
UKGC Consultative Process – The Focus
The gambling regulator decided to get feedback and opinions from stakeholders on its Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice with a special emphasis on three areas.
The first was on the expansion of GAMSTOP’s self-exclusion program. GAMSTOP is a free service provided to UK gamblers that allow them to take advantage of the tool and impose self-exclusion measures on themselves to reduce their gambling time and spend or to impose a complete gambling ban voluntarily.
The UKGC wanted feedback as to whether all license holders (land based and online) should be required to offer GAMSTOP to their players. If the feedback from the consultative process is in favour of this, then the regulator will need to make changes to its Social Responsibility Code on Remote multi-operator self-exclusion duties!
The second areas focused on the disclosure of gambling related suicides. A number of Brits are tempted to commit suicide due to their gambling debts and sadly a few of them end up doing this. The UKGC wanted to know if all licensed operators should be required to mandatorily report gambling related suicides that they are aware of.
Lucy Frazer, secretary of state for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said earlier this year that UK gambling can be properly reformed only if gambling related suicides are disclosed.
The third area that the UKGC targeted was to be clearer with technical requirements concerning Payment Services Regulations (PSR). Relevant authorities are currently reviewing license conditions outlined by the UKGC for PSR’s as there is concern that certain aspects need to be made more transparent.
Stakeholder Feedback Will Be Kept Confidential
The UKGC assured all gambling related stakeholders that any information and feedback submitted during the consultative process will be kept confidential. There is no indication as of now from the UKGC as to how long it will take for the regulator to collate, review and finalize what changes need to be made based on the data collected during the consultative process.
