Responsible gaming is a highly important topic, thus it comes to no surprise that Europe has been regulating online gambling in the markets for a number of years now. The latest country to join in on the push for a safer iGaming experience is the UK.
The U.K. Gambling Commission (UKGC) is taking steps to ensure that responsible gambling is the main concern in the online gambling industry. After the implementation of a new taxation and licensing regime in the United Kingdom some months ago, the organization is calling for greater emphasis on getting the message across to the public that gambling must be done responsibly.
After an in-depth review of the current system was done, the UKGC identified that more could be done to minimize the risk of problem gambling. A set of rules, which every licenced online Poker site in the UK must abide by, will officially be updated and released on the 8th of March 2015. After this release, operators will have to place a greater emphasis on ‘social responsibility’.
“The work we have done through the review represents a significant strengthening of the social responsibility measures in the LCCP. But we have reached the point at which it is clear that much more could be achieved if anonymous gambling in cash was not such a prominent feature of land-based gambling,” said the Gambling Commission’s Chair, Philip Graf.
Responsible Gaming is a concept that gaming and gambling operators, software suppliers and associated service providers need to uphold to ensure their offerings uphold the highest standards. This will ensure fair and safe gaming experiences that protect players from the adverse consequences of gaming and gambling. Anonymous gambling refers to the way in which operators and players can track their own spending.
Overall, the UKGC wants its licensed platforms to be more transparent and prepared to give players expert help and assistance at all times. Some of the main responsible online gambling features to come in to effect over the coming of months are:
- Measures to make it harder for underage children to ante-up online,
- Improved self-exclusion measures and trained members of staff designed to help those with issues,
- Annual assurance statements from top operators outlining the measures in place and the figures relating to problem gambling on their platforms and
- More transparent marketing and the removal of any ads that could be deemed as misleading.
