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UKGC: New rules to make online gambling in Britain fairer and safer
Reading Time: 3 minutes
The UK Gambling Commission has announced new rules which online operators must follow to make gambling safer and fairer.
The new rules, which follow an open consultation, will ensure operators verify customers’ age and identity details faster which will benefit consumers.
Safer for children
Until now, online gambling businesses have been allowed 72 hours to carry out age verification checks. The operator cannot permit customers to withdraw winnings until age verification has been completed and must return stakes if the person is found to be underage.
But to guard against the risk of children gambling, new rules mean operators must verify customer age before the customer can:
- deposit funds into an account
- gamble with the licensee with either their own money or a free bet or bonus.
In addition, the Commission is now also insisting that customers must be age verified before they are able to access free-to-play versions of gambling games on licensees’ websites. While free-to-play games are not technically gambling (there is no prize involved), there is no legitimate reason why they should be available to children.
Fairer and safer
In March 2018 the Commission announced that some online operators were treating customers unfairly by requesting additional identity information when the customer attempted to withdraw winnings. Around 15% of complaints to its contact centre were about licensees not allowing a customer to withdraw funds until they submit certain forms of ID.
The new rules require remote licensees to:
- verify, as a minimum, the name, address and date of birth of a customer before allowing them to gamble
- ask for any additional verification information promptly
- inform customers, before they can deposit funds, of the types of identity documents or other information that might be required, the circumstances in which the information might be required, and how it should be supplied to the licensee
- take reasonable steps to ensure that information on their customers’ identities remains accurate.
The changes will help operators better prevent harm or detect criminal activity because they have more information about their customers. In addition, the changes will mean that operators cannot demand that customers submit ID as a condition of cashing out, if they could have asked for that information earlier.
Finally, the changes will increase the likelihood that someone will be identified if they attempt to gamble while self-excluded. This applies equally to the operator’s own self-exclusion schemes and the online multi-operator self-exclusion scheme, Gamstop. This is because effective verification by operators will mean that a customer will not be verified, and therefore unable to gamble, until they provide correct details. These details will then be checked against both the operator’s own self-exclusion database and the verified data held by Gamstop.
Neil McArthur, Gambling Commission Chief Executive, said: “These changes will protect children and the vulnerable from gambling-related harm, and reduce the risk of crime linked to gambling. They will also make gambling fairer by helping consumers collect their winnings without unnecessary delay.’’
“Britain’s online gambling market is the largest regulated market in the world and we want to make sure it is the safest and the fairest. Today’s changes follow our review of online gambling and our ongoing widespread regulatory action into the online sector. We will keep using our powers to raise standards for consumers.”
Jeremy Wright, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said:
“These significant changes mean operators must check someone’s age before they gamble, and not after. They rightly add an extra layer of protection for children and young people who attempt to gamble online. By extending strong age verification rules to free-to-play games we are creating a much safer online environment for children, helping to shut down a possible gateway to gambling- related harm.”
The new rules come into force on 7 May.
The Gambling Commission will shortly be launching a consultation on plans to make explicit our expectations about how to interact with a customer who may be experiencing gambling-related harm and will be calling for evidence on the use of gambling blocking software.
Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
This is a Syndicated News piece. Photo credits or photo sources can be found on the source article: UKGC: New rules to make online gambling in Britain fairer and safer
Reading Time: 1 minute
Tribal casino revenues and taxes from racetrack gambling in New Mexico have shown that the industry is contracting in the area. The annual revenues that are shared by tribal casinos within the state declined 10% from 2012 to 2018, shrinking from $69.7 million to $62.8 million.
The state tax income from the nontribal gambling, which is dominated by racetrack casinos, declined by 3% for the same period to $61.6 million, down from $63.4 million.
The briefing from the Legislative Finance Committee notes that growth in the online gambling industry, which is not authorised in New Mexico, may be drawing a share of the market away from New Mexico casinos.
Population demographics also rein in the industry. New Mexico saw just 1% population growth during the six-year period.
Sports betting operations are illegal by statute in New Mexico, but the tribal-state gambling compacts do not specifically prohibit it, leaving an opening for native American casino operators.
Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
This is a Syndicated News piece. Photo credits or photo sources can be found on the source article: Gambling Income in New Mexico Declines Over Six-year Period
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Slots and casino software provider Red Tiger has scooped the Game to Watch award at this year’s iGB Live! show with its latest blockbuster title Wildcats Multiline
Set on the Sun-soaked savannah, the slot takes players on an exciting adventure where each spin may feature between two and seven rows but will always feature 6 reels.
The more rows, the more Multiline
win lines are possible, up to a maximum of 49 in a high volatility – yet high hit-rate – game with a maximum win of over 2,000x stake.
It beat off stiff competition to pick up the trophy as games from five companies battled it out to prove which was the most innovative and immersive, as well as having the best design and cross-generational appeal.
Director of Business Development Carl Ejlertsson who presented the game to judges in Amsterdam said: “We are delighted to have picked up the Game to Watch award, which was a fun event with which to get involved.
“It is nice to be recognised for our innovation and we are confident that the game will be a big hit with our operator partners in the coming weeks.”
Among the judges of this year’s competition was Andy Harris, UK CEO of Design Works Gaming, who was quick to praise the quality of this year’s entrants.
He added: “As a U.S. based slots and social specialist who are about to enter the European online RMG market, it was fascinating to get such detailed insight into the types of innovation that we will be up against in the coming months.
“There were some very interesting titles on show and some new features that will interest players, but I have to say that Red Tiger was a worthy winner of the award.”
Wildcats Multiline
goes on general release on Thursday 25th July and can be viewed here.
Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
This is a Syndicated News piece. Photo credits or photo sources can be found on the source article: Red Tiger’s Wildcats Multiline™ Nets Game To Watch Award At IGB Live!
Reading Time: 1 minute
Slot provider’s games now available on leading Colombian sportsbook
Pragmatic Play, one of the leading software providers for video slots, live casino and bingo, has seen its full portfolio of slot content live with Colombian operator Wplay.co.
Wplay.co customers will have access to Pragmatic Play’s award-winning suite of slot games including Da Vinci’s Treasure, Mustang Gold, and the ever-popular Wolf Gold.
The deal is the slot provider’s first in the Colombian market and an important strategic move with Wplay.co being the most popular sportsbook in the country.
The entire portfolio of Pragmatic Play’s video slots is available to the operator via a single API.
Yossi Barzely, Chief Business Development Officer at Pragmatic Play, said: “We are thrilled to have gone live on Wplay.co, and excited to offer brand new players our award-winning slots.
“We are always looking to enter new regulated markets and look forward to a long and successful partnership with Wplay.co.”
Julio Cesar Tamayo, Chief Executive Officer at Wplay.co, said: “Pragmatic Play’s games stand out in a crowded marketplace, with a wide array of successful content, and we’re thrilled to have them on board.
“We’re looking forward to offering our customers the very best in immersive gaming from the slot provider’s innovative portfolio.”
Pragmatic Play has signed a series of significant commercial agreements over the past 12 months in regulated markets, expanding its reach with operators including Svenska Spel, Kindred and Casumo.
Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
This is a Syndicated News piece. Photo credits or photo sources can be found on the source article: Pragmatic Play Goes Live On Wplay.co
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