REVIEW OF THE GAMBLING ACT 2005 - HAVE YOUR SAY!

As brought to you yesterday from #ReelWorldSlotsSays the government are doing an extensive review of the Gambling Act 2005. This is going to drastically change the picture of gaming across the UK and in particular online. This is the point where you get to put your ideas and views forward to the government committee on what they are calling a “Call for evidence”

As mentioned yesterday, the government believe, alongside all anti-gambling groups, that the current gambling act is “an analogue document in a digital age” It comes as no surprise then that many of the questions the government are looking for opinions on, there’s 45 in all, are all about online gaming. They are:

Q1: What evidence is there on the effectiveness of the existing online protections in preventing gambling harm?

Q2: What evidence is there for or against the imposition of greater controls on online product design? This includes (but is not limited to) stake, speed, and prize limits or pre-release testing.

Q3: What evidence is there for or against the imposition of greater controls on online gambling accounts, including but not limited to deposit, loss, and spend limits?

Q4: What is the evidence on whether any such limits should be on a universal basis or targeted at individuals based on affordability or other considerations?

Q5: Is there evidence on how the consumer data collected by operators could be better deployed and used to support the government’s objectives?

Q6: How are online gambling losses split across the player cohort? For instance what percentage of GGY do the top and bottom 10% of spenders account for, and how does this vary by product?

Q7: What evidence is there from behavioural science or other fields that the protections which operators must already offer, such as player-set spend limits, could be made more effective in preventing harm?

Q8: Is there evidence that so called ‘white label’ arrangements pose a particular risk to consumers in Great Britain?

Q9: What evidence, if any, is there to suggest that new and emerging technologies, delivery and payment methods such as blockchain and crypto currencies could pose a particular risk to gambling consumers?

Q10: Is there any additional evidence in this area the government should consider?

With these questions the government have definitely shown their hand. These questions are definitely loaded towards much tighter controls ahead. Greater controls on deposits, losses and overall spend. Limits to be set based on affordability, will this mean online credit checks for gamers? Also in here is the idea of looking at who the online companies get their profits from. The government are worried that 90% of profits are from less than 10% of gamers, leading to vulnerable people being “milked” by online betting companies rather than supported for their addictions.

Our secret source in #Baca (British Amusement Catering Trade Association) confirmed that they are generally pleased with the evidence gathering protocols, especially due to the fact that people can set questions to the committee. “We are keen to put forward the subcategorisation of Category C machines to enable gaming innovation, the end to the 80/20 rule and in-venue linked jackpots. We also want to see our suggestion for cashless forms of payment put forward and an end to ridiculously overpriced licensing arrangements for pubs and clubs.”

Now is the time to have your say. You don’t have to be an expert, you just have to be able to type! Have a look at the other 35 questions and have your say using the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-the-gambling-act-2005-terms-of-reference-and-call-for-evidence/review-of-the-gambling-act-2005-terms-of-reference-and-call-for-evidence#how-to-respond

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