UKGC deepens commitment to safer gambling with industry code

UK Gambling Commission (UKGC)
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The UK Gambling Commission has heightened its focus on age verification procedures as part of its ‘2020/21 Business Plan’. 

Through a set of new collaborative measures, the regulatory body has deepened its commitment to reducing problem gambling, specifically with its new action plan on VIP schemes. 

The new procedures seek to restrict and prevent customers under 25 years of age from being recruited to high-value customer schemes, ensuring all customers must be cross-referenced with the appropriate spend, safer gambling and enhanced due diligence measures before qualifying for the schemes. 

Neil McArthur, Gambling Commission Chief executive, stated: “We have been encouraged by the progress on VIP incentives, safer advertising and safer products. We set these challenges in order to deliver real and rapid change for consumers in key areas of risk. 

“However, it is important these commitments are implemented as soon as possible. It should not take months to implement safeguards many would expect to be in place already. 

“By working together with operators and seeking the views of people with lived experience of gambling harm we have been able to make significant progress, although there is always more to do. We will now consult on the necessary changes to our rule book to ensure all operators have to meet the new standards.”

The UKGC detailed that it has developed its new protective measures in cooperation with ‘industry working groups’ featuring executives of 30 UK operators, co-ordinated by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC).

The legislation will also see new rules in terms of data, halting the consistent use of customer data for marketing 

The first set of UKGC guidelines will be implemented on 14 April, as the industry embarks on a period of heightened importance in terms of responsible gambling, with the UK general public in social distancing through the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Supporting its future advertising policy, the UKGC has formed a cross-industry ‘Adtech Forum’ to ensure incumbents are making further progress in this area, including conducting and evaluating trials of advertising technology.

Age verification and safer gambling is a subject that will be discussed by key industry stakeholders at the SBC Digital Summit, which is the biggest ever online conference in the betting & gaming industry, to find out more about the event click on the banner below.