A Breakdown of the UK’s Online Gambling Regulations

Throughout the past few years, the gambling market of the United Kingdom has been burgeoning, and as it seems, this tendency is likely to get even more pronounced in the future.

One probable explanation of why interactive gambling keeps on making waves in the country is due to the fact that the different forms of gambling are heavily regulated and fall under the purview of the UK Gambling Commission.

What does this mean is that gambling operators will only be permitted to service players ad punters from the country, on condition that they have acquired a license from that regulatory entity. Needless to say, this helps foster and maintain a well-regulated and secure gambling atmosphere for sports bettors and casino lovers alike.

Of course, one of the major contributors for the UK to turn into safety heaven for gamblers remain the laws and regulations that are currently in place, which is exactly what we will focus on in this article.

Online Gambling Regulations in the UK

To begin with, the UK is certainly not one of the countries where the legal status of gambling continues to be unsettled because of some contradictory or vague laws and regulations. The state has introduced regulations that address all forms of gambling, including its interactive form, thus leaving no room for any interpretations or misunderstandings. In simple terms, gambling is fully within the law in the UK, and it falls under the watchful eye of the Gambling Commission.

So as to get a better understanding of the legislative framework of gambling regulations, we should focus our attention on several major bills. The Gambling Act that was passed in 2005 is one such because it did not only provided interpretations of certain fundamental terms, but it also established and gave more details about the duties and the powers of the Gambling Commission

Perhaps, at this point, many of you wonder how matters stand with mobile gambling. In fact, the above-mentioned bill is applicable to all forms of gambling, meaning that there are not any differences in the way mobile and interactive gambling are treated by the law.

The main purposes of the act were to guarantee the protection of underaged and other vulnerable individuals, to make sure that all gambling activities are above-board, and to make certain that gambling activities are in no way associated with any unlawful activities. The role of the Gambling Commission is to observe that all gambling activities are conducted in full consistency with the objectives the Gambling Act outlined.

Another major shift in the legislation of the UK took place in 2011 when some of the provisions of the Gambling Act underwent some amendments. Prior to that time, the UK legislation used to give offshore gambling operators a considerable advantage over the UK-licensed operators. Before the changes were brought about, gambling operators from the European economic area, together with operators from the so-called white-listed territories the likes of the Isle of Man and Alderney were permitted to tout their services to residents of the country, without holding a license from the Gambling Commission.

Still, lawmakers decided to tighten the state’s grip on gambling through the introduction of the Gambling Licensing and Advertising Act 2014. After the bill took effect, overseas gambling operators that accommodate players and punters from the UK are only permitted to do so, on condition that they have acquired a seal of approval from the Gambling Commission. According to the bill, gambling operators are also required to pay duty on transactions that are carried out by residents of the UK.

Another major shift took place in 2015 when it became mandatory that gaming operators that function under a license from the Gambling Commission should employ software that is fully licensed as well.

Those who are keen on the idea of exploring the official documentation of the Gambling Commission and to keep abreast of its activity can easily do so simply by heading over to its official website.

Most Recent Changes in the Online Gambling Regulations

In spite of the fact that the gambling market of the UK is already heavily regulated and falls under the rigorous control of the state, a few modifications were made back in 2019. As it seems, lawmakers have every intention to further solidify the state control over gambling and to thwart some individuals from wagering, be it on sports or casino games.

This necessitated the introduction of austere measures that have to do with ID and age verification. The purpose of these measures is to guarantee that underaged individuals will not participate in any gambling-related activities.

After the stricter age checks were introduced, casino lovers and sports bettors will only be permitted to gamble over the Internet, provided that they have uploaded specific documents that will help them verify their age and identity.

Under the latest changes in the legislation of the UK, sports bettors and players will be required to provide evidence that they are over the age of 18 no later than 72 hours after they have set up their real-money account. Those who fail to meet this requirement will be denied access to the gaming website of their choice until they do not complete the verification process.

Although these measures might seem overly restrictive to some gambling enthusiasts, their objective is to help create a risk-free environment for all lovers of that pastime. As it seems, many MPs are looking for a way to deal with gambling-related harm, which might result in the introduction of even stricter regulations.

Some lawmakers call for a much stricter policy on online gambling and have gone on to propose that a limit should be imposed on wagers made on slots and that certain restrictions should be imposed when it comes to the loyalty programs of virtual casinos and sportsbooks. Some legislators that insist on a root and branch shift in the gambling regulations also demand that credit card payments should no longer be accepted by gaming operators.

Considering what regulation changes happened in 2019, this might lead to a makeover not only of the gambling industry but also of the legislation of the country. This means that it is a matter of time to see if the government will have all UK gambling acts reviewed or there will be only some slight modifications.