Gambling Commission launches consultation on machine changes

The UK Gambling Commission Initiates Consultation to Enhance Gaming Machine Standards for Safer Gambling

The Gambling Commission has embarked on a comprehensive consultation process aimed at revising the technical standards and testing protocols for land-based gaming machines. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to foster a safer and fairer gambling environment across Britain.

The proposed framework introduces five key gaming machine standards alongside a social responsibility code, designed to protect players. These measures are anticipated to include:

• Time and monetary limits to promote responsible gambling practices.
• Enhanced messaging regarding safer gambling to elevate awareness among users.
• Clear displays of net position and session durations to empower players with transparency.

In tandem with these updates, the Gambling Commission is committed to refreshing its gaming machine technical standards by eliminating outdated content, thereby ensuring relevance in today’s gaming landscape. Moreover, the Commission is contemplating the consolidation of its existing twelve technical standards into a single, streamlined standard. This new format aims to offer improved consistency and clarification regarding the Commission’s existing remote gambling and software technical standards.

Tim Miller, the executive director for research and policy at the Gambling Commission, acknowledged the potential financial burdens associated with regulatory alterations in gaming machine designs. He encouraged feedback from consumers, gambling businesses, and other stakeholders to provide evidence that can help assess the regulatory impacts of the proposed changes, as well as the associated implementation costs. Such insights will contribute significantly to evaluating whether the benefits to consumers justifiably outweigh the costs involved.

The open consultation, which commenced on January 29, is set to last for sixteen weeks, concluding on May 20. This marks the third consultation initiated by the Gambling Commission in its ongoing implementation of white paper reforms.

Gambling Commission Consultations and White Paper Review Implementation

The UK Gambling Commission recently published a white paper detailing a review of the Gambling Act, which was originally enacted in 2005. This review was launched under the previous Conservative government’s initiative, aimed at fortifying consumer protections, mitigating industry exploitation, and establishing modernized standards in gambling regulation.

Noteworthy changes highlighted in the white paper have already begun to take effect, including:

• New stake limits on online slots.
• Introduction of a statutory levy to finance research, education, and treatment for gambling-related harm.
• Establishment of an operationally independent gambling ombudsman to safeguard consumer rights.
• Implementation of additional affordability checks for online operators, with many leading platforms committing to conduct passive checks on players with net gambling deposits exceeding £150 per month, raising the threshold to £500 in February.

Calls for Immediate Action Amidst Ongoing Consultations

Carolyn Harris, chair of the gambling-related harms All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), recently voiced her support for the Gambling Commission’s white paper efforts while expressing concerns regarding the necessity of further consultations. In her remarks last April, she stated, “We don’t need more consultations. We’ve had two and a half years since the review. We need swift action, immediate implementation of the proposals, and urgent legislative change where necessary, following 18 years of the gambling industry’s prevailing influence over this agenda.”

In response to these concerns, the Gambling Commission implemented new regulations in January aimed at reducing the “speed and intensity” of online casino products. Among the new rules, features that accelerated the reveal of results, such as ‘turbo’ or ‘slam shots,’ have been banned. Furthermore, audio or visual celebrations for payouts equal to or less than stake bets are prohibited, alongside the disabling of operator functionalities that allowed simultaneous play across multiple products.

These updated measures, initially set for online slots since 2021, have now been expanded to include poker, bingo, and various other casino games, reflecting the Commission’s commitment to promoting responsible gambling and safeguarding consumer welfare.