UK Election Important To Online Gambling
Online gambling operators licensed in the UK are bracing for even more restrictions regardless of which party wins the general election next month.
Over the past weekend, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson laid out his priorities for the country following the December 12 UK election with the release of “The Conservative and Unionist Party Manifesto 2019”. Early polls have indicated the Tories will emerge with a substantially enhanced majority in the House of Commons.
Apart from the main pledge of “getting Brexit done,” the Tories also vow to “revaluate” the 2005 Gambling Act, which the document claims is “increasingly becoming an analogue law in a digital age.” The Tories somehow managed to miss the fact that the Act was the first local legislation to authorize and regulate online gambling, making the analogue charges something of a misnomer. Now, mind you, this is not really on par with those ridiculous NHS funding claims during the Brexit referendum, but it’s early days yet.
The Tories say their review of the Act will have “a particular focus on tackling issues around loot boxes and credit card misuse.” Although some parliamentarians uphold that loot box mechanics don’t meet the current definition of gambling, UKGC stats show that many kids claim to have been pushed down the slippery slope toward real gambling via their exposure to loot boxes.
As far as credit cards are concerned, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is organizing a public consultation on whether it should ban the use of credit cards for online gambling altogether. A group of UK parliamentarians recently called for several online gambling restrictions, including a credit card ban and a reduction in online slots stakes to match the new £2 max stake on retail gaming machines that was imposed on April 1.
Also, more and more UK banks are now rolling out new features that allow customers to restrict their access to a variety of purportedly harmful products, including online gambling.
Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have already weighed in with their own anti-gambling proposals, with the Lib-Dems supporting a credit card ban and Labour promising a total gambling overhaul.
This all-party piling on gambling reveals just how far down the sector has slid in terms of public perception. The regulatory reckoning that has plagued the sector over the past few years is yet to find its bottom. It gets dirty when politics gets involved.
