UK gambling operators are likely to be required to implement affordability checks for their customers under the upcoming White Paper, despite previous comments by the UK Gambling Commission’s CEO, Andrew Rhodes. While Rhodes confirmed that the commission would not enforce operators to impose affordability checks on their players, he also maintained that operators should not allow customers to spend beyond their means. Rhodes suggested that a range of customers were experiencing harm and would benefit from measures to prevent them from overspending.
“The reality is, there are risks that are present in the industry now that need to be addressed and that is what we have been focused on,” Rhode stated, “it is the source of the extreme cases that we have been drawing attention to in the last two years.”
The lack of clarity on the subject has created confusion among UK operators who want to maintain compliance with problem gambling risk.
A new survey has found that if the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) or the government were to introduce mandatory affordability checks, a significant majority of consumers would turn to the black market.
A new survey commissioned by the Betting and Gaming Commission (BGC) and conducted by YouGov has found that almost 70% of respondents believe mandatory affordability checks would lead to a shift to unregulated sites, thereby signalling the end of the regulated gaming industry. This figure is higher than a previous YouGov survey, in which 59% of respondents felt that compulsory checks would lead to a rise in black market gambling. The UK government is considering introducing a series of regulatory changes, including daily caps on losses, and additional affordability checks for those who lose more than £125.
Critics have argued that such measures could lead to a rise in black market gambling or non-UK casinos as they are known online. As many visitors to our website will know, these non-UK casinos are legit and offer a much better gaming experience. Not only are you not forced to upload your payslips or tax returns every time a casino asks you to do so, but you also get the freedom of depositing to your account however you choose! Yes, you read that right, no annoying KYC checks each week, and you can deposit by credit card or Bitcoin if you want to!
The UK casino market has gone down the crapper, and it’s thanks to the suits at the UKGC that have caused it. Sadly not all the casinos outside the UK do have good reputations unlike the brands we have vetted and listed on here, some of them do have bad reputations, and it’s those that give the industry a bad name.
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With over nine years in the industry, Paulie is a veteran of online gambling. He’s been a speaker at several iGaming events in Europe and the UK and is seen as a go-to guy regarding questions around UK gambling. Paulie now resides in Spain and can be found at many of the affiliate conferences throughout the year.
