Originally the Gambling Act 2005 applied only to those persons who had a physical connection with Great Britain; for example, land-based gambling businesses located in Great Britain or items of remote gambling equipment located in Great Britain. The current gambling laws in the UK are designed to control illegal gambling and better regulate the industry to make it safer for gamblers to make bets. One area the laws focus on is protections for children and vulnerable adults and that includes a minimum legal age for gambling and self-exclusion options for adults with gambling addiction. Gambling was being dragged out of the Dark Ages, when the only legal bets were made on the racecourse, or the phone. Street betting had been rampant and everyone knew it.
Reading Time: 3minutesThe Culture Secretary has launched a major and wide-ranging review of gambling laws to ensure they are fit for the digital age as committed to in the manifesto.
Online restrictions, marketing and the powers of the Gambling Commission will be looked at as part of a call for evidence, to examine in detail how gambling has changed over the past 15 years.
Protections for online gamblers like stake and spend limits, advertising and promotional offers and whether extra protections for young adults are needed will all be explored.
The findings will be used to inform any changes to the Gambling Act 2005 to ensure customer protection is at the heart of the regulations, while giving those that gamble safely the freedom to do so.
The review will also look at evidence on the action customers can take where they feel operators have breached social responsibility requirements, such as intervening to protect customers showing clear signs of problematic play, and how to ensure children and young people are kept safe from gambling-related harm.
The Government recognises the need to balance the enjoyment people get from gambling with the right regulatory framework and protections.
It has also been announced today that the minimum age for playing the National Lottery will be raised from 16 to 18 from October 2021.
Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Oliver Dowden, said:
'Whilst millions gamble responsibly, the Gambling Act is an analogue law in a digital age. From an era of having a flutter in a high street bookmaker, casino, racecourse or seaside pier, the industry has evolved at breakneck speed.
'This comprehensive review will ensure we are tackling problem gambling in all its forms to protect children and vulnerable people. It will also help those who enjoy placing a bet to do so safely.
'This builds upon our clear track record of introducing tough measures to protect people from the risk of gambling harm – banning the use of credit cards, launching tighter age verification checks and cutting the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals.'
Minister for Sport, Tourism and Heritage Nigel Huddleston said:
'We're committed to protecting young people from gambling related harm which is why we are raising the minimum age for the National Lottery. Patterns of play have changed since its inception, with a shift towards online games, and this change will help make sure the National Lottery, although already low-risk, is not a gateway to problem gambling.'
It follows a range of measures recently introduced by the Government to protect consumers from the risk of gambling-related harm. These include cutting the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals, bringing in tighter age and identity checks for online gambling, banning gambling using credit cards and expanding national specialist support through the NHS Long Term Plan.
In September the Government launched a call for evidence to explore young people's experiences of loot boxes in video games. This will provide a clearer picture of the size of the loot box market in the UK and fully examine any evidence of harms or links to problem gambling.
The review of the Gambling Act 2005 will also consider the Gambling Commission's powers and resources to ensure it can keep pace with the licensed sector and tackle the black market.
In October the Gambling Commission introduced new rules on VIP schemes, and has called for evidence around how to ensure operators identify and intervene where people are at risk of harm, including through carrying out affordability checks. The Commission will also soon set out new rules on safer game design for online slots and withdrawing winnings.
Alongside the launch of the review, the Government is announcing its decision to raise the minimum age to play the National Lottery from 16 to 18, to protect young people from gambling related harm.
Since it began in 1994 the National Lottery's games portfolio has changed significantly and there has been a growing trend towards online play and instant win games like scratchcards. Following a consultation, from October 2021 it will be illegal to sell all National Lottery products to under 18s.
The Government is working with the Gambling Commission and Camelot to roll out the new age limit across the National Lottery products as quickly as possible and to ensure that it is in place by October. Under current plans, online sales to 16 and 17 year olds will stop in April 2021.
Source: gov.uk
Meanwhile, questions about advertising and bonuses suggest anything up to a complete ban on the major acquisition channels could potentially be on the table.
In total, the review includes 45 different questions built around three core objectives.
First, it will examine whether changes to gambling regulations are needed, especially where technology has moved beyond the scope of the 2005 Act.
It also aims to strike a balance between consumer freedom and harm prevention, and finally will work to ensure customers are protected whether they gamble online or via retail channels.
The announcement of the review has of course received wide support across the UK sector.
The Betting and Gaming Council said it was pleased to see the review but urged an 'evidence-led' approach that kept the sector's economic impact in mind. Meanwhile the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Gambling-Related Harm and Peers for Gambling Reform each called for recommendations from reports released this Summer to be implemented.
The Gambling Commission – which will be examined as part of the review – said it was happy to work with the Government.
Below, iGB outlines the key points of discussion set out by DCMS.
Online gambling
Within online gambling, the call for evidence asks 10 questions. These will include a question on the existing protections for online customers, and a question on how current online revenue is distributed between higher and lower-spending customers.
The call for evidence will then ask about the imposition of various controls on the online sector such as stake, speed and prize limits for online games, as well as stricter testing requirements. Accounts, meanwhile, may face deposit, loss or spend limits, with a follow-up question asking if these limits should exist universally or be applied on the basis of affordability.
Street Gambling Uk Law Firms
In addition, DCMS will ask if evidence collected by operators could be better used to ensure a safer gambling environment and if current protections such as player-set limits could be improved.
The Government will also look specifically into 'white label' operators, of which there are currently around 700. DCMS asked if these pose a 'particular risk' to customers.
Florida Gambling Law
'Concerns have been raised that the companies who provide the brands may be seeking to use white label arrangements as they would be unable to meet the GB regulatory standards required to obtain a licence themselves, and that this therefore poses risks to consumers,' DCMS said.
New and emerging technologies, as well as delivery and payment methods such as blockchain and crypto currencies, will also be examined, with DCMS in particular keen to identify any potential risks.
Marketing
Among the areas of marketing that the review will examine is bonusing. The review asked if 'the harms or benefits of licensed operators being able to make promotional offers, such as free spins, bonuses and hospitality,' both for VIPs and overall. This suggests that a complete ban on bonusing is not off the table, though the review may instead result in a restriction on incentives only for VIPs.
The review also asks about 'the positive and negative impact' of sports sponsorship and of the harms and benefits of advertising in general.
In addition, it asks about the effectiveness of mandatory safer gambling messages within advertisements.
Washington State Gambling Laws
The Regulator
The Gambling Commission and its roles and powers will come under specific scrutiny in the review.
Gambling Laws Usa
The call for evidence asks if it has 'sufficient investigation, enforcement and sanctioning powers' to bring about change and improve standards in the industry. It then asks if there is scope for its existing powers to be 'used differently or more effectively'.
The Tu-160 Blackjack bomber costs $3800 and is a fast and very powerful bomber. Its payload is almost as powerful as the B-2 Spirit's, and covers a much larger area. Background Edit. The Tupolev Tu-160 is a supersonic, variable-sweep wing heavy strategic bomber designed by the Tupolev Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Blackjack, formerly also Black Jack and Vingt-Un, is the American member of a global family of banking games known as Twenty-One, whose relatives include the British game of Pontoon and the European game, Vingt-et-Un. It is a comparing card game between one or more players and a dealer, where each player in turn competes against the dealer. Players do not compete against each other. Soviet blackjack bomber.
DCMS will then ask whether there are any barriers to 'high quality research to inform regulation or policy making', and if so, how these may be overcome.
The call for evidence will also look at the unlicensed black market, asking if it is sizeable or if there is a risk of a significant black market emerging. It is also looking to find out how easy it is for customers to gamble with unlicensed operators, and how easily they can tell if they are doing so.
In addition, the government's review looks at 'the most effective system for recouping the regulatory and societal costs of gambling from operators', whether it is through taxes, licence fees, levies or otherwise.
As well as this, DCMS asks a series of questions about harm redress, which are categorised separately to its questions about the Commission. It asks whether there is 'evidence of a need to change redress arrangements', and if so, if there was an existing model elsewhere that could be implemented.
The call for evidence also asks whether there is a more effective consumer redress measure than financial compensation. It pointed out that giving large sums to at-risk gamblers may pose a problem, while also suggesting that gambling is often 'risk-free'.
Age limits and underage gambling
The call for evidence asks 10 questions about underage gambling and age limits. As well as asking about the effectiveness of the current measures, it asks if there is an existing 'best practice' on age limit regulation.
Many of the questions then ask about age limits for category D gaming machines – such as the fruit machines commonly found at pubs – and for society lotteries.
Category D machines have no minimum age, but British amusement machine association Bacta annouced last month that it would ban under-18 players from using them, while players must be 16 to play a society lottery. DCMS announced with the review of the Gambling Act that the age limit for the National Lottery would be increased from 16 to 18 by October 2021. Commercial mail slots.
The call for evidence asks whether under-18s playing these games can create problem gambling or other harm later in life.
The review will also look into whether further protections should be implemented for those aged 18-25. The Betting and Gaming Council earlier this year announced its members would only allow players ages 25 or older to participate in VIP schemes.
Land-based gambling
Below, iGB outlines the key points of discussion set out by DCMS.
Online gambling
Within online gambling, the call for evidence asks 10 questions. These will include a question on the existing protections for online customers, and a question on how current online revenue is distributed between higher and lower-spending customers.
The call for evidence will then ask about the imposition of various controls on the online sector such as stake, speed and prize limits for online games, as well as stricter testing requirements. Accounts, meanwhile, may face deposit, loss or spend limits, with a follow-up question asking if these limits should exist universally or be applied on the basis of affordability.
Street Gambling Uk Law Firms
In addition, DCMS will ask if evidence collected by operators could be better used to ensure a safer gambling environment and if current protections such as player-set limits could be improved.
The Government will also look specifically into 'white label' operators, of which there are currently around 700. DCMS asked if these pose a 'particular risk' to customers.
Florida Gambling Law
'Concerns have been raised that the companies who provide the brands may be seeking to use white label arrangements as they would be unable to meet the GB regulatory standards required to obtain a licence themselves, and that this therefore poses risks to consumers,' DCMS said.
New and emerging technologies, as well as delivery and payment methods such as blockchain and crypto currencies, will also be examined, with DCMS in particular keen to identify any potential risks.
Marketing
Among the areas of marketing that the review will examine is bonusing. The review asked if 'the harms or benefits of licensed operators being able to make promotional offers, such as free spins, bonuses and hospitality,' both for VIPs and overall. This suggests that a complete ban on bonusing is not off the table, though the review may instead result in a restriction on incentives only for VIPs.
The review also asks about 'the positive and negative impact' of sports sponsorship and of the harms and benefits of advertising in general.
In addition, it asks about the effectiveness of mandatory safer gambling messages within advertisements.
Washington State Gambling Laws
The Regulator
The Gambling Commission and its roles and powers will come under specific scrutiny in the review.
Gambling Laws Usa
The call for evidence asks if it has 'sufficient investigation, enforcement and sanctioning powers' to bring about change and improve standards in the industry. It then asks if there is scope for its existing powers to be 'used differently or more effectively'.
The Tu-160 Blackjack bomber costs $3800 and is a fast and very powerful bomber. Its payload is almost as powerful as the B-2 Spirit's, and covers a much larger area. Background Edit. The Tupolev Tu-160 is a supersonic, variable-sweep wing heavy strategic bomber designed by the Tupolev Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Blackjack, formerly also Black Jack and Vingt-Un, is the American member of a global family of banking games known as Twenty-One, whose relatives include the British game of Pontoon and the European game, Vingt-et-Un. It is a comparing card game between one or more players and a dealer, where each player in turn competes against the dealer. Players do not compete against each other. Soviet blackjack bomber.
DCMS will then ask whether there are any barriers to 'high quality research to inform regulation or policy making', and if so, how these may be overcome.
The call for evidence will also look at the unlicensed black market, asking if it is sizeable or if there is a risk of a significant black market emerging. It is also looking to find out how easy it is for customers to gamble with unlicensed operators, and how easily they can tell if they are doing so.
In addition, the government's review looks at 'the most effective system for recouping the regulatory and societal costs of gambling from operators', whether it is through taxes, licence fees, levies or otherwise.
As well as this, DCMS asks a series of questions about harm redress, which are categorised separately to its questions about the Commission. It asks whether there is 'evidence of a need to change redress arrangements', and if so, if there was an existing model elsewhere that could be implemented.
The call for evidence also asks whether there is a more effective consumer redress measure than financial compensation. It pointed out that giving large sums to at-risk gamblers may pose a problem, while also suggesting that gambling is often 'risk-free'.
Age limits and underage gambling
The call for evidence asks 10 questions about underage gambling and age limits. As well as asking about the effectiveness of the current measures, it asks if there is an existing 'best practice' on age limit regulation.
Many of the questions then ask about age limits for category D gaming machines – such as the fruit machines commonly found at pubs – and for society lotteries.
Category D machines have no minimum age, but British amusement machine association Bacta annouced last month that it would ban under-18 players from using them, while players must be 16 to play a society lottery. DCMS announced with the review of the Gambling Act that the age limit for the National Lottery would be increased from 16 to 18 by October 2021. Commercial mail slots.
The call for evidence asks whether under-18s playing these games can create problem gambling or other harm later in life.
The review will also look into whether further protections should be implemented for those aged 18-25. The Betting and Gaming Council earlier this year announced its members would only allow players ages 25 or older to participate in VIP schemes.
Land-based gambling
The review asks whether changes to the land-based sector may support the Government's goals. Among the changes it specifically asks for evidence on are increases in the number of gaming machines a casino may offer.
In addition, the review asks whether the new casinos introduced in the 2005 Gambling Act may 'support economic regeneration, tourism and growth while reducing risks of harm'. These include regional casinos, which 'may offer casino games, bingo and/or betting and up to 1,250 Category A and Category B1 machines'.
DCMS will also ask whether licensing and local authorities 'have enough powers' in terms of premises licences.
