Gambling is by no means a new hobby, but it is something that has become much more accessible over recent years. With the options for how people can gamble consistently on the rise, it stands to reason that government legislation is going to need to adapt in order to keep up. Although there have been some views that the UK Gambling Commission isn’t quick enough to adapt regulations to suit current gambling trends there is no denying that they are happy to change the way the gambling industry works if it is deemed necessary. We only need to take a look at the gambling legislation changes that took place in 2021 as proof that changes can and indeed do happen.
Protecting Vulnerable Gamblers
Although there are many reasons why gambling legislation is updated regularly, protecting vulnerable gamblers certainly seems to be a driving force behind many of the new rules that are put in place. Although there are ways that people can stop themselves from gambling, the truth is that if you have a gambling addiction then even initiatives like GamStop are unlikely to be enough to help you eradicate the problem completely. Instead, it is down to the gambling industry to play their part in keeping their clients safe and UK gambling legislation certainly makes sure that this is the case.
A recent look at gambling statistics showed that the number of problem gamblers fell from September 2020 to 2021 which is a step in the right direction. However, gambling industry campaigners still feel as though there is more that the government should be doing to protect those that are gambling industry customers.
Gambling Changes in 2021
At the start of 2021, the UK Gambling Commission announced an overhaul of some of the existing gambling legislation. Although these didn’t come into play until the 31st October 2021 many online casino operators implemented changes much sooner, as a way to show their support for these new rules which were thought to be put in place to support those that may have a gambling problem.
Although there are arguments that the UK Gambling Commission isn’t always the quickest to respond to changing gambling trends, these changes in 2021 show that they have an understanding of the ever-growing online casino industry and the need to have rules in place to protect those that take part in gambling this way.
One of the changes that were made with how games can be displayed in terms of wins. No longer can something be celebrated as a win if the prize is less than the amount that was staked. For example, if you’re playing 50p a spin and you win a 20p prize, this can no longer give the impression that this is a win. Games also needed to ensure that they did not give the illusion that the user had any control over the outcome if that was not the case. A lot of this is down to transparency and making sure that anyone partaking in these games online has an understanding of what they are playing and what is at stake while they are taking part.
Another change recently was the deposit limits on regulated UK slot sites. Operators are expected to ensure that they offer gamblers the tools to remain in control of their spending on the platform. For example, they should allow users the chance to set both deposit and time limits on what they can spend on the site. The allowing of auto-play features was also removed in legislation that was introduced in 2021, as it thought this allowed users to lose track of just how much time and money they were spending on the game. It is now mandatory that regulated online casinos display how much time and money has been spent on a game all the time.
These rules are clearly designed around helping online casino users to stay in control of their spending and how much time they are spending on online casino platforms. At the time Neil McArthur, the Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission spoke about how they wanted to make gambling a safer pastime for everyone and that they needed to remove some of the increased intensity that some game features created – to ensure that players were not encouraged to binge play.
Changes Expected in 2022
These changes were pretty big ones of the gambling industry so it may be that the UK Gambling commission waits to see how these are received and what difference they make before they look to introduce too many new rules.
However, one thing they will be keen to do is to make sure that they stay on top of changing trends. The way that we gamble changes as fashions change and technology adapts and as such sometimes regulations that we have in place become out-dated or not appropriate for the current way gambling works. One thing that they are likely to be keeping a close eye on is microtransactions within games – especially those games that aren’t traditionally linked with gambling.
Microtransactions are becoming more popular– they allow players to buy things like online prizes and ‘loot boxes’, with the chance to win items that can help them complete the game quicker or build a stronger team. However, these are sometimes a gamble as the prize value isn’t guaranteed and although you don’t need to take part in order to complete the game, there is some worry that these microtransactions could encourage those under the age of 18 to take part. There isn’t currently much legislation around these transactions and how/when they can appear in games but there are many people that think 2022 is the year that these will start to be introduced if the popularity of including them within games continues to grow. After all, these games can be aimed at children and we all know that there are plenty of age-related rules surrounding gambling within the UK.
