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The UK Gambling Commission are due to close its public consultation regarding online slot game design and features in an attempt to make slot games safer for the public in the future.
Slot Features Reviewed
The public consultation began in July after the UKGC feared slot game features including ‘speed of play and frequency of betting opportunities’ along with other features could increase the chances that a player could succumb to gambling related harm. Game features have been accessed by UKGC and future game design and features will be monitored and must ‘keep pace’ with changes in the industry to make online gambling more safe.Slots are the industries largest product by far, few play them but the ones that do have a high spending yield. Some of the features in the structure of slot games can have an increased effect on the amount spent on the game.
‘Adopt A Framework Of Changes’
Neil McArthur commented in the UK Gambling Commissions 2020/2021 Business Plan, and confirmed the industry needed to adopt a framework of changes in the design of slot games including,
- A minimum spin speed of 2.5 seconds across all slot games
- Removal off game features which may encourage intensive gameplay such as slam stops and turbo buttons
- Prohibiting split screen slots which have been associated with ‘potential loss of control’
- The development of a more detailed work plan which will include in-game messaging and the creation of a Betting and Gaming Council Testing Lab to look in to other game features
The UKGC said, “ Our interest in online slots is because it is the largest online gambling product by gross gambling yield – played by relatively few but with a high average spend. Structurally it has a number of features which can combine to significantly increase intensity of play.”