The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has announced a new set of rules to better protect at-risk customers.
The Commission announced the new rules yesterday (April 14th) in a statement on its website, revealing that the rules will require gambling operators to do more to identify and take action to protect those at risk of developing a gambling addiction.
According to the Commission, the new rules will come into effect on September 12th, 2022, and will require operators to monitor a specific range of indicators, as a minimum, to identify gambling harm.
They also require operators to flag indicators of harm and take action in a timely manner, implement automated processes for strong indicators of harm, prevent marketing and the take-up of new bonuses for at-risk customers, evaluate their interactions and ensure they interact with customers at least at the level of problem gambling, and evidence their customer interaction to the UKGC during casework.
Alongside the above, the Commission has confirmed that it will issue operators with new guidance in June, which will help them understand and comply with the new requirements. The Commission also states it will engage with operators over any queries regarding the new rules.
The new rules come after a consultation was launched to address the failings the Commission continued to see amongst gambling operators. Among them is identifying customers who may be at harm, which the Commission found that operators haven’t been fast enough to help consumers.
Gambling Commission Chief Executive Andrew Rhodes said of the new rules: “Time and time again our enforcement cases show that some operators are still not doing enough to prevent gambling harm. These new rules, developed following an extensive consultation, make our expectations more explicit.
“We expect operators to identity and tackle gambling harms with fast, proportionate and effective action and we will not hesitate to take tough action on operators who fail to do so.”
The news comes after the UK Gambling Commission shut down illegal Facebook lotteries and as the gambling industry awaits the publication of the government’s Gambling Act 2005 review.
