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The UK Government has released its White Paper on gambling legislation today, with affordability and online safety making up a number of the proposals that could come into force as early as summer 2024.
First of all, operators will be expected to enforce stricter financial checks on individual customers.
The first of these checks will be triggered by a proposed £125 ($155) net loss within a month or £500 net loss within a year, with the strictest checks kicking in at £1,000 net loss a day or £2,000 net loss within 90 days.
A stake limit may also be introduced for online slot games, with the proposed amount being between £2 and £15.
Further limitations would be introduced to the 18-24-year-old age bracket, with £2 per stake as a possibility.
There will also be an assessment of how the game speeds and certain features may compound the risks of online slots.
However, there will also be a change to how many machines casinos can offer, with the upper limit being raised to 80 from the previous 20.
Sports betting may also be legalised in all casinos as part of the paper, as opposed to the select casinos that were licensed under the 2005 Act.
The ratio of machines could also be changed with the 80/20 machine rule being relaxed.
Under the proposed legislation, there could be a 50/50 split between low and medium-maximum stake machines.
Operators will also be expected to share data on high-risk customers with one another, as well as make changes to how they market bonuses and free bets to reduce social harm.
Despite many operators already partaking in voluntary levies, the White Paper proposes a statutory levy to be paid directly to the Gambling Commission to support treatment, education and research into gambling harms.
This will be separate from the proposed Horserace Betting Levy, which would be used to maintain funding across the horse racing industry.
Meanwhile, a new gambling ombudsman could be introduced to tackle disputes over customer losses due to social responsibility failures on the operator’s part.
Additional proposals tackle player-centric tools, education, changes to cashless payment, premises licence fees and reducing the risk to those under 18.
