A look at regulations on the UK Gambling Market
The gambling industry is one that is growing by the day. The community is made up of both casual players and gambling addicts. The United Kingdom, for instance, is one country that is known for gambling, and many companies have emerged that offer online gambling to clients. Due to the many problems that can arise from gambling activities, several regulations and services have been put in place to monitor the operation of the market, such as Gamstop, which can ban addicted players.
Sponsorship and Advertising Regulations in Sports
Licenses must ensure that companies that get into commercial agreements with sports clubs should be aware of the relevant sponsorship and advertisement rules. These include the United Kingdom Advertising Codes, LCCP, sport governing body rules, and the "Gambling Industry Code for Socially Responsible Advertising." The United Kingdom has strict regulation on content, placement and targeting of gambling adverts. For instance, it is the duty of licensees to ensure their advertisements are not promoted in the junior sections of sports clubs.
Young People in Marketing Content
All gambling regulations restrict young people or children from taking part in gambling promotions or marketing communications. The regulations recognize a child as someone who is below fifteen years of age and young people as those between sixteen and seventeen years old. Those who are under twenty-five years should not be featured in gambling-related activities. Under 25s can only feature in marketing communications where betting can be done in a transactional facility, such as the operator's own website or premise.
Transparent Gambling and Gamstop connection
According to gambling regulations, an operator should ensure that their marketing communications don't mislead players. All gambling conditions that apply to gambling promotions should be provided prominently and transparently to gamblers.
The terms of every gambling promotion should be made clear and available for the complete duration of the particular promotion. Gambling operators must be connected to Gamstop to obatain a UK-license, but websites operating offshore can sometimes be slots sites not conntected to Gamstop which can cause confusion to some.
Operators should not carry out direct electronic marketing without a gambler's consent unless permitted by law. The consumer should be afforded an opportunity to withheld consent whenever they are contacted.
Responsible Placement of Online Adverts
The responsibility of maintaining and placing online adverts in an orderly manner lies with the gambling operator. It is the duty of the operator to ensure that they don't place adverts on websites that offer unauthorised access to copyrighted information or content. They must also ensure that third-party service providers that they work with do the same thing. The Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) developed the Infringing Website List (IWL) to provide the names of copyright-infringing sites.
Losing a Gambling License
You can only keep your license if you abide by regulations and guidelines set by gambling regulation bodies. For instance, all betting sites and online casinos that don't sign up for the self-exclusion service risk losing their operating license. About 99% of the companies in the United Kingdom are registered and subscribed to Gamstop, which is a requirement in the UK. If you use a non-licensed website, you risk losing money and personal information.
Improvements
Although the self-exclusion gambling system has managed to assist gambling addicts, it has not been perfect. While there are systems in place to exclude players, according to recent information by BBC radio, excluded members can access the sites by creating a new email address. This allows gamblers to sign up to new accounts and continue with their betting and casino activities. However, the UKGC has promised to come up with strict laws to eliminate the problem.
Gambling regulation has played a critical role in minimising gambling addictions in the United Kingdom. For instance, Gamstop is working alongside the United Kingdom Gambling Commission to ensure that every operator functions with a license. The system automatically allows gamblers to block themselves from accessing all gambling sites. The UKGC is looking for better ways to make the system more efficient to eliminate any loopholes. The end goal is to ensure that every gambler is free from addiction.
