Published
Legal & Regulatory

Gambling Commission issues new operator guidance despite decline in gambling participation

The Gambling Commission has published guidance and measures for online operators in the UK, aimed at furthering player protection during the coronavirus lockdown.

gambling commission logo

The measures follow research the Gambling Commission collected with YouGov surveys, which showed gambling participation is down overall during lockdown, although certain activity has increased.

As a result, the Commission has put in place additional guidance for operators, including preventing reverse withdrawal options for customers until further notice and ceasing offers or promotions to customers displaying indicators of harm.

Additional measures include interacting with customers who have been playing for at least an hour in a single session of play, review thresholds for new customers and conducting affordability assessments on players experiencing harm.

Out of those surveyed, the majority indicated they have not increased the time or money spent on gambling, although 64% of more-engaged gamblers said they have increased time or money spent on at least one gaming activity.

The research also showed that, while overall session lengths have decreased, there has been a spike in the number of sessions played for more than an hour.

Gambling Commission CEO Neil McArthur said: "Operators must use the data they hold to protect their customers.

"Now, more than ever, it’s vital 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."

Premium+ Connections
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium Connections
Consultancy
Executive Profiles
Soft2Bet
Scientific Games
Digitain Malta
Follow Us

Facing Facts: Q3 2024 analysis

Gambling Insider takes a look at the Q3 results of operators...

Taking stock: The final count of 2024

Gambling Insider tracks operator and supplier prices of some...

CEO Special: Flutter CEO Peter Jackson – Playing to win

As the biggest publicly traded operator in gambling meets th...

CEO Special: Holland Casino CEO Petra de Ruiter – High flier

Petra de Ruiter, Holland Casino CEO, speaks to Gambling Insi...

A welcome from your host

A message from the Founder of the Global Gaming Awards and G...

From the event manager

A message from the Event Manager of the Global Gaming Awards...

From the Awards adjudicator

KPMG in the Crown Dependencies is the official voting adjudi...

The process

The Global Gaming Awards have deservingly earned the reputat...