The UKGC Rolls Out Better Gambling Protection Rules

The United Kingdom has been consistently hailed as a role model for online gambling licensure and regulation. Some gaming professionals are however of a different view. This is because most companies have in the recent past violated the various laws, rules, and regulations that govern gambling.

 

Some of these violations include those stipulated by the Advertising Standards Authority and the United Kingdom Gambling Commission. Examples of these violations include running misleading advertisements, targeting children who are not mature enough to gamble, and placing unnecessary restrictions on the withdrawals of earnings.

 

These violations have led to public outcries from various quarters. Most gamblers have complained of misleading bonuses and adverts. Most parents have also expressed concerns that their children have been unnecessarily bombarded with undesirable advertisements.

 

In response to these complaints, the United Kingdom Gambling Commission has put in place measures that are geared towards rectifying these problems. It has subsequently announced the introduction of new rules that gambling firms shall have to abide by starting from October 31st, 2018.

 

These rules and regulations are largely geared towards safeguarding the interests of the consumers especially from those adverts that are deemed misleading. They are also meant to shield the vulnerable segments of the population from undue exploitation and deception.

The most significant aspect of these restrictions is stiffer penalties on the companies that violate these regulations. Additionally, the gambling commission shall have the powers to enforce the new laws which shall also include the ability to impose hefty penalties on those operators that breach the prevailing advertising rules.

 

Further to these, the gambling operators shall be required to resolve any complaints that arise internally. They shall do so within an eight-week window. In case this window elapses without the dispute having been conclusively dealt with, the third-party shall be free to bring the said issue to an arbitration body.

 

The commission had these to say about the new regulations: “We will now have the teeth to deal appropriately with all the emerging issues. We shall particularly deal ruthlessly with the firms that tend to glorify gambling. We shall also be unforgiving to those gambling operators that tend to target children and other vulnerable persons in the society.”

 

Other than these, the commission has also put in measures to make it easier for the gamblers to receive their dues. It has lifted the cumbersome withdrawal restrictions that most operators put in place to prevent their gamblers from receiving their incomes. The same case shall apply to unsolicited commercial e-mails.

 

Neil McArthur, the Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission, had these comments to state:

“It is our utmost priority to shield the interests of the consumers. The same has to apply to the gambling operators. The changes we have instituted shall offer added protection from irresponsible adverts and misleading promos. They shall also see to it that gamblers withdraw their incomes faster and smoothly.”

 

These measures shall undoubtedly inflate the costs of doing business. However, they are also beneficial to the gambling operators. They have the impact of instilling confidence on the gamblers. This has the attendant positive impact of increased revenue inflows and income of the operators.

 

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