The UK Gambling Commission says it is working to put consumers first in the country’s gambling market and urging operators to move quickly on better customer service.
Speaking at the UK Gambling Commission’s inaugural Raising Standards conference, Chief Executive Sarah Harrison said the commission’s focus is on raising consumer standards and the pace of change needs to move faster.
She said operators should put consumers at the heart of “everything” they do and make consumer friendly changes faster that they currently are. The firms should be focused on what best serves the customer rather than meeting minimum requirements set by the regulator, Harrison said in her opening speech.
“I urge you to think about this question: what does the consumer need? Rather than what does the Gambling Commission expect?” she said. “We all have to face up and recognize, it’s a consumer landscape. Whilst for some this will be a significant challenge; it also provides an exciting opportunity to take this industry forward”.
Other topics at the conference included an upcoming review of the commission’s enforcement policy, social responsibility, consumer-centric focus, transparency, advertising and marketing, dispute resolution, anti-money laundering measures, customer protection and enforcement.
In another matter concerning UK betting, a study by Queen Mary University and City University London found bookmakers were getting around new child protection laws by targeting children on social media.
Gambling promotions are banned from TV advertising before 9pm , but the authors of the report want the law to extend to bookmakers’ social media accounts. They said gambling firms should be forced to conduct age-verification tests if they are allowed to advertise before 9pm on social media.
Other suggested moves include restrictions on direct-marketing campaigns targeting children who register with online gambling websites to play free demo games. Celebrity endorsements of gambling should also be banned, the report argues, as well as a ban on anyone under the age of 25 promoting betting activity.
