The gambling and online gaming industry has been under some scrutiny for ages, but with the introduction of new regulations by the UKGC, the eyes towards the operators have become even more intense. The UKGC is responsible for regulating the gambling and online gaming industry and they just recently introduced some new rules that have been made to ensure that the industry and everyone in the space operates transparently and fairly.

But first… Who are The UKGC? 

UKGC stands for The Gambling Commission. UKGC is an official non-departmental public body of the Government that regulates gambling and their tentacles are covering areas such as sports betting, casino, all sorts of slot machines, bingo, lotteries and even arcades.

UKGC was originally established in 2007, but before it existed there was another regulatory body called ‘’The Gambling Board’’. UKGC’s main purpose is to issue licenses for various gambling operators and to make sure that every operator follows the terms they have on their licenses.

The UKGC is generally known for being quite straightforward with their approach when it comes to regulations. Some recent regulations and measures have caused some controversy and annoyment with players. There are players who wholeheartedly believe in the regulations and that they are needed, when others believe that there should be more individual responsibility when it comes to their own gambling habits. Whatever the opinions are, though, The UKGC is here to make sure that the gambling environment is safe for players.

GAMSTOP

GAMSTOP is a relatively new requirement for the licensee holders and the purpose of it is to be an online self-exclusion tool for players who need it. Self-exclusion is a ban that prevents the player from playing at that casino for a specific period of time and it applies to all the other casinos that operate under the same license.

Before GAMSTOP existed, the most frequent problem was that the players would be able to self-exclude from one casino but straight after that they could go and join in another casino. This is the obvious reason why GAMSTOP was created in the first place.

Basically the main function of GAMSTOP is this: when a player signs-up with GAMSTOP, after that they are blocked from playing at any UKGC-licensed casino. This is clearly a very sufficient tool for those who feel that they are not able to control their gambling behaviour.

In order for anyone to register with GAMSTOP, they have to provide a certain amount of personal information and documents. This is clearly because it is important to be sure that the person who requests this information is actually who they claim to be and therefore to avoid misuse of the system.

If you would like to find out more about GAMSTOP, please visit their official website here.

RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING TOOLS

There’s been a legal requirement for responsible gambling tools for quite some time. These tools are proven to be beneficial for the players and there are not really any downsides to these measures.

Deposit Limits:

Each casino must offer their players a chance to set deposit limits. Basically what this means is that the players can choose a time-frame and an amount of money they are able to deposit within that time-frame. For example, if you set a €50 deposit limit per week, once you deposit that €50 you are not able to deposit more money until the weekly timer resets.

Time-Out Periods:

Each casino must offer their players a chance to have a ‘’time out’’. This is basically a pre-set time-frame (24 hours, 7 days or 30 days) and once it is set to place and activated, the player is not able to log into their account until the time out has passed.

Self-Exclusion:

Self-exclusion is meant to those players who feel that their gambling behaviours are seriously out of their control. This tool allows these players to ban themselves for either 6 months, one year, five years or permanently. When the self-exclusion period ends, the account will not be automatically opened again. This means that the players will have to contact the operator and request their account to be re-opened. There is also a 24 hour cooling off period before they are able to log back into their gambling account.

VERIFICATION CHECKS

In the past the online gambling operators had 72 hours from a player first signing up to verify their identity. This meant that multiple players were able to deposit as much as they wanted, but when the time came and they tried making withdrawals they were locked out of their accounts and asked for documents. Obvious to say, players were not happy with this unfair practice.

Since the 7th of February 2019, all the online gambling operators must verify their player’s identities before they are able to play and make a deposit. This mainly affected small casinos since putting these sort of systems in place can be quite costly. Anyhow, these types of verification checks are a huge help in preventing underage people from gambling. This regulation of course got some backlash from the players since they would like to join the casinos and begin to play straight away.

SOURCE OF WEALTH & AFFORDABILITY CHECKS

Gambling operators have always been supposed to carry out affordability checks to their players, but it is only these few past years that the UKGC has gotten more ‘’serious’’ about it and enforcing the operations to follow it. Basically the meaning of this regulation is that the operators have to make sure that the amount of money being gambled is affordable to the players.

This is certainly the most controversial regulation up to date since it is a one that requires the players to provide very sensitive and personal information to online casinos.

Because of these regulations, casinos may demand to see proof where the money is coming from to the players personal bank account. This is obviously relatively fast to prove by quickly uploading bank statements and payslips, but some players are not happy and feel that there should be a line drawn with privacy. Also some issues might arise when operators withhold withdrawals until the player submits these required documents.

Affordability checks are pretty much the same – this means that the operator should check whether the amount you are gambling is affordable for you or not. Once again, some players believe that this is an invasion of privacy and that everyone should be able to make their own decisions with their own money.

When playing at a UKGC-licensed casino you might want to be prepared that there is a chance that you will be asked to upload some proof where your money is coming from.