What Are The Plans of The British Parliament  Towards Online Gambling?

The UK gambling market has experienced steady growth over the years. This can be attributed to several reasons such as the legalization of the hobby in the region, the proliferation of smartphones, and the overall advancement in technology. Online Casinos have also been creative with their offers, and you can find the best no-deposit bonuses available for the UK on this page.

However, in recent years, the UK parliament has greatly increased the talk about gambling. This is because first of all, the rules that already existed were created before the smartphone era. Second, while the parliament appreciates that gambling is just a hobby that most people enjoy safely, there are also a few people whom it has harmed. So, what has the UK Parliament been doing about gambling in the country?

Operating License Requirements

The UK government started regulating online gambling with the Gambling Act of 2005. Back then, this was quite a landmark legislation, and it was aimed at ensuring that the then-upcoming online gambling would be maintained under control.

The act oversaw the creation of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), which is arguably the biggest independent regulatory authority. It has the responsibility of overseeing and licensing gambling operators. If an operator wants to offer their services to UK residents, then it has to meet set standards that demonstrate that it commits to high levels of fairness, transparency, and responsible gambling.

Besides licensing those who wish to offer gambling in the UK, the Gambling Commission also has the responsibility of ensuring that all consumers are protected.

This is usually ensured through various ways, some of them being strict age verification, offering various gambling rules, and clearly letting users know the various risks associated with gambling. But given the changes in the market over the years, the UK Parliament has always had plans to update regulatory standards. And although some of them have been postponed several times, things look like they might be changing soon.

Review of the Gambling Act

The first thing that the UK Parliament did was undertake to review the Gambling Act of 2005. This was done between 2020 and 2021, and it was headed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

After the review closed the submissions, the government has since published a white paper on it, which was done in April 2023. After another round of consultations, it will then publish a draft gaming bill, which is set to be introduced to parliament in 2025. If passed, it will then come into effect in 2026.

What are the Major Issues in the Review?

Enhanced Consumer Protection

The biggest concern with the UK Parliament is to ensure that consumers are given as much protection as possible. This area has therefore taken much of the focus, with several measures being proposed. The first is an improved method of verifying players, which includes a mandatory ID check instead of just asking for the date of birth. There’s also stricter affordability checks for players, which means that a person shouldn’t gamble beyond their means. This goes hand in hand with monitoring the behaviors of players, limiting deposits and stakes, and every provider ensuring that they offer responsible gambling tools.

Responsible Advertising and Marketing

The advertising and market practices of operators have been the other major focus of the UK Parliament. This is because aggressive marketing techniques usually have an impact on vulnerable people especially young adults.

One of the measures that are already having an impact is banning advertising during live sports, something that has significantly affected Chelsea’s sponsorship – although the same can’t be said about their transfer dealings. There’s also the aspect of targeting individuals with curated ads, which can be quite a problem for some individuals. All these propositions are meant to protect gambling fans, but it will be interesting to see their effect on the UK gambling market.