Changes afoot for UK Online Casinos
As one of the most regulated and changing gambling markets in the world, it will come as no surprise to players and interest parties alike that UK online casinos go through change quite regularly, and this has certainly been seen over the past few years with the ban on credit card gambling that came last year and the introduction of initiatives like Gamstop the year prior with the primary aim at helping problem players – whilst different operators have introduced a host of new sites like those found here, UK operators have further changes expected to come into place by the end of this year, and future changes that could have a wider impact too.
(Image from theleader.info)
UK slots set to slow down, with further changes aimed specifically at casinos as a whole – The first big change will come in to place by the end of October this year, primarily aimed at slowing slots down with a number of different changes. With restrictions at how fast slot can play, along with the removal of turbo and auto-play features and the addition of display information to show how much has been played during the current session, the goal is to provide more transparency in play and offer more protection to the players most at risk. Other blanket changes will include the removal of re-wagering winnings too aimed not just at slots but all casino games for UK operators, and could look to be the first of many changes at making casinos more consumer friendly.
A potential change to advertising could be on the way – Along with the definitive changes to slots, a recent survey could also mean that proposed changes to the way online casinos and gambling services are advertised could be delivered too. During the height of the pandemic in 2020, there had already been a temporary restriction on different forms of advertising, and with a recent survey suggested that 70% of those who answered would support a complete ban, it does seem almost an inevitability at this point. With the changes above aimed at slots and casinos, there is a huge push to help those most at risk and the most problem players, and this change to advertising options certainly supports the message being put forward by the UK gambling commission.
The other big question still to be answered however is what may be done about the services becoming more readily available to avoid many of these restrictions, non-gamstop casinos registered in places like Malta continue to grow and avoid these restrictions, and undermine the efforts put forward in the UK, and these proposed changes could further lead to players seeking out these alternatives for a more open play experience.