The United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) has released a new set of consultations intended to make gambling in Britain fairer and safer.
Earlier this year, the gambling regulator opened its first set of consultations to carry out the proposals by Government in its Gambling Act Review White Paper High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age.
A week ago, the Commission released the second set of consultations on proposals contained in the White Paper and is now calling for views from consumers, gambling businesses and other interested groups.
The consultations, which will run for 12 weeks, shall cover the following topics:
- socially responsible incentives - proposals relating to incentives such as free bets and bonuses, to make sure they do not encourage harmful or excessive gambling
- customer-led tools - proposals to empower consumers and make it easier for them to manage their gambling in ways that work for them, such as deposit limits
- transparency of protection of customer funds - proposals to increase transparency to consumers if their funds are held by licensees that offer no protection in the event of insolvency
- removing Commission requirements that would become obsolete due to the government's upcoming statutory levy - proposals to remove the current LCCP requirement to make annual financial contributions to a set list of research, prevention and treatment organisations
- regulatory data - proposal to harmonise across all operators the frequency of reporting of regulatory returns from annual to quarterly.
Tim Miller, Gambling Commission Executive Director for research and policy, said: "The White Paper set out that a top government priority is ensuring that gambling happens safely. We share this commitment and today's consultations propose how we can deliver on it. We need as many people as possible to have their say on any potential changes to the rules operators must follow.
These views will ultimately help shape gambling regulation across the country."
The Commission will soon be launching a further consultation covering two topics related to ‘business as usual' matters. This consultation shall include proposals about clarity and transparency to the way financial penalties are calculated, and financial key event reporting by licensees to make sure the Commission has the right information for risk-based regulation.
Source: https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/news/article/views-wanted-on-proposals-to-make-gambling-safer
