The UK Gambling Commission has outlined a three-year plan to improve regulation of the gaming industry and make it fairer and safer for players.
Operators licensed in the UK will have to adhere to the new framework, which includes pledges by the regulator to get tough on upholding industry standards. Players can expect to see more information about safe gambling from operators and better intervention processes for players experiencing problem gambling.
The plan comes as the UK has released government review of the gambling industry as a whole. That has included a proposed cut in the maximum wagers allowed at fixed odds betting terminals to protect players.
The commission said that 65 percent of adults in the UK have gambled at least once in the past year in a press release on the strategy. The commission identified in a press release the need to “balance consumer choice and enjoyment against the risks and impact gambling can have.”
“The risks are changing and evolving and the industry needs to move farther and faster to address them. A well-regulated gambling market, one in which consumers can have confidence can also contribute to sustainable business and growth over the longer term,” the release said.
The plan includes protecting the interests of consumers and notes that failures by operators will carry stiffer sanctions. Operators will also need to provide better support services for players with gambling problems, including taking the initiative on intervention programs.
The commission also said it will “improve the way it taps into consumer and public issues” and to support the government in addressing problems within the gambling industry.
The strategy also points to the National Lottery as needing better regulation. The commission wants more evidence that lottery funds are going to good causes, and said it will help to optimize the share of profits, which benefit charities and communities, the release said.
“This is an ambitious strategy to deliver fairer and safer gambling over the next three years,” said Bill Moyes, chairman of the Gambling Commission. “We can only be successful in this by engaging with consumers and by working closely with all our regulatory partners and the industry.
“In the same way that this strategy challenges the industry, we also challenge ourselves, as the regulator, to deliver effective, targeted and innovative regulation,” he said. “At the end of three years, we expect to see an industry that strives continuously to raise their standards, treat customers fairly, and protect vulnerable people.”
