Gambling Law is Being Reconsidered in the UK

Great Britain announced that it wants to reconsider and, if necessary, revise the existing gambling law. One reason is that the current law dates back to 2005 and thus does not address the current situation at all. Although the government wants to take several months to review, there is already some information about what could change.

The Increase in Player's Protection

One reason why the existing law is to be reviewed and, if necessary, changed is player protection. This comes too short at the moment because, in 2005, the position of online casinos was still unsure. In addition, 16-year-olds in Great Britain can buy a scratch ticket or submit a lottery ticket. In this area, the age must be at least 18.

This is another reason why many online gambling providers now include scratch cards and lotteries in their range. It is not surprising that such a decision does not go down well with the operators of gambling portals.

Some of these see no reason at all to raise the minimum age, while others ask for a lead time of one year. To date, it has come through that there could possibly be two solutions: For online offers, the minimum age will shoot up; for on-site lotteries, it could take some time.

Affecting also Advertising and Sponsoring

Apart from the increase in player safety, advertising for the games of chance is also getting reviews. This also sounds logical when there were much fewer or no online casinos in 2005.

Now, it is also necessary to reconsider what the advertising on the Internet and on the site of online casinos could look like.

Possibly, Great Britain orients itself to other countries. In Spain, advertising for gambling is now only available at night, while in Sweden, there are fewer and fewer bonuses.

However, a bonus reduction only increases player safety at a second glance: anyone who uses a bonus must deposit a corresponding amount beforehand. In addition, turnover conditions must always be achieved.

This automatically extends the time spent playing and increases the incentive to deposit again. In terms of sponsorship, the experts also see a danger: If the teams of various sports continue to wear jerseys by the casinos and bookmakers, advertising automatically takes place.

However, this advertising is not only available to adults or spectators in the stadium. The sponsorship is already available to children when the games are on TV. A feature on Sky clearly shows that clubs earn millions from sponsorship. If this income were to be restricted, there would be serious criticism.

Stake Limit Could Come

According to rumors, the betting limit for various games and slot machines could also be coming. Until now, people were allowed to bet 100 pounds per game round in the UK.

However, since 2019, there has been a betting limit of 2 pounds on fixed-odds betting terminals. Possibly, this limit will be extended to slot machines in online casinos and sports betting.

To ensure player safety at the highest level, players themselves will also get a check. For example, players will have to prove that they are playing with their own money and have not taken out a loan. Furthermore, players might have to prove that they have a sufficient credit rating.

Should all this comes to pass, the gambling industry fears that the opposite will happen: players could migrate to illegal providers. With these, there are no regulations regarding a betting limit or bonuses.

If that were to happen, there would be no player protection at all. Legal online casinos would also have to contend with lower sales. Likewise, the state would also lose tax revenue.

The illegal providers are guaranteed not to pay any tax in the UK. However, that the current law needs a review is definitely certain. This is the only way to increase security in online casinos. But, the new rules should not be too strict.