The UK Gambling Commission has reiterated its commitment to protecting vulnerable people and has announced action against unaffordable gambling.
Speaking at the Shard Financial Vulnerability Summit 2021, Sarah Gardner, the acting joint CEO of the UK Gambling Commission, said that making gambling safer, fairer and keeping the industry crime-free is the driving force behind every employee at the Commission.
In her speech at the event, Gardner stated that the Commission is focusing on vulnerability, which the regulator considers key to tackling gambling harm and reducing risk in gambling.
Acknowledging that vulnerabilities differ between people and that an operator’s response will depend on the person’s circumstances, Gardner said that the Commission is developing a Single Customer View which will “help identify and then protect vulnerable people from gambling-related harm”.
As reported by FocusGN, she said: “Currently, no gambling operator has a full picture of a customer’s gambling. We recognise this increases the challenge of keeping a customer safe where operators currently only have a partial view of a customer’s behaviour.
“A Single Customer view would give operators a full picture of a customer’s risk of harm whilst keeping the customer’s data secure. A Single Customer view could dramatically help reduce harm and that is why we will not accept progress at the pace of the slowest on this work.”
She continued: “This project is also an excellent demonstration of collaboration to protect people and reduce risk. We are working closely with the Information Commissioner’s Office to make sure the project will protect consumers data.
“Following the ICO’s work to establish a legal basis for the project and ensure consumers’ data is protected and secure, we will look to industry to begin solution trials as soon as possible. So we are also supporting operators as they work with us to develop the technology to test and then roll out the project.”
Gardner also stated that the Commission is prioritising taking action to prevent players from gambling “clearly unaffordable” sums by focusing its intervention requirements on higher loss rather than checks at lower levels.
She said: “Our immediate action will be focused on preventing the types of cases we still see too much of in our casework.
“In particular this will tackle where operators have allowed people to gamble amounts that are clearly unaffordable with very limited or no customer interaction until a very late stage.”
Also in the speech, Gardner said it was important that measures to limit gambling harm come from outside the gambling industry before reiterating the Gambling Commission’s new three-year corporate strategy, which is published back in April.
The strategy focuses on protecting children and vulnerable people from gambling-related harm, keeping crime out of the industry, improving gambling regulation, creating a fairer market with more informed customers, and optimising returns to good causes from the National Lottery.
The news comes after gambling operator Stakers has surrendered its gambling license after an appeal against the suspension of its license by the UK Gambling Commission was dismissed.
Game developer Wazdan has gained approval to launch in New Jersey after receiving a transactional waiver from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE).
Wazdan is now allowed to launch a selection of its best performing content in the US state, including games such as Sizzling 777 Deluxe, Magic Fruits Deluxe, Magic Stars 3, Power Of Gods: The Pantheon, 9 Lions, and Larry The Leprechaun too.
Speaking about the news, Andrzej Hyla, the Chief Commercial Officer at Wazdan, said in a statement: “New Jersey needs no introduction as a market and we’re thrilled to be able to offer some of our most popular games to operators in the state. With more to come from us in this territory, it’s the first step on a very exciting journey.”
The news comes as Wazdan continues to strike content agreements to extend its player reach. The leading game developer struck a content deal with Crowd Entertainment brands Princess Casino and CashPot in Romania, as well as Denmark’s 25SYV, and more.
Similarly, game developer Red Tiger Gaming, which was recently acquired by Evolution with NetEnt, has launched in Pennsylvania with BetMGM Casino and Borgata Casino.
Under the launch, Red Tiger Games such as Gonzo’s Quest MegaWays, Wings Of Ra, and Cash Volt, and more have all launched with BetMGM’s Casino, with additional content set to launch in the coming months.
According to the developer, the launch of Red Tiger Gaming’s content comes after the successful integration of Evolution’s live casino games and NetEnt slots too.
Jeff Millar, the Commercial Director of North America at Evolution, said in a statement: “We’re excited to see Red Tiger go live with BetMGM and look forward to extending our partnership with them. The studio is producing very successful games and I’m sure they will be well-received by players.”
Matthew Sunderland, the Vice President of Gaming at BetMGM, added: “Red Tiger delivers top-quality games to licensed markets around the world. BetMGM is delighted to add their popular titles to our world-class games portfolio.”
The news comes after Red Tiger Gaming launched its Pirates’ Plenty MegaWays slot, the latest slot addition to the hugely successful Pirates’ Plenty series, and after it partnered with NetEnt to release its Trillionaire slot.
More recently, Red Tiger has been striking content agreements with operators like YoCasino, SpaceCasino, and numerous others as part of a move to boost its player reach worldwide.
