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The United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) have issued more stringent guidelines to be carried out by online operators during the current lockdown. Although the majority of players gamble responsibly, a minority may be showing signs of gambling related problems while staying at home.
New Guidelines
The UKGC have seen an increased proportion of gamblers now playing online casino and slot games along with esports after sporting events have either been cancelled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Online operators must now act on new guidance from the UKGC, which includes:
- Prevent reverse withdrawal options for customers while the lockdown continues
- No bonuses or promotions offered to players flagging harm indicators
- Further affordability checks on players indicating harm
- Interact with customers who have been playing for more than one hour
- Additional monitoring of spending habits, patterns of play and changes in player behaviour since the lockdown began
Chief Executive from Gambling Commission said,“ Operators must use the data they hold to protect their customers and now, more than ever, it’s vital that online operators really know their customers by monitoring how long they are playing for and understanding how financial uncertainty is impacting them and what they can afford to gamble with. To ensure operators do that, we are strengthening our guidance and expect operators to take account of that to prevent bonus offers or inducements being offered to customers who are showing any signs of harm. “ We will continue to monitor and publish data that we are collecting and we will take further measures if required. We are monitoring online operators closely and if we see irresponsible behaviour we will step in immediately, suspending licenses if we need to.”