After the internet boom happened almost two decades ago, the growth of the online casino industry has been steep. As soon as its popularity grew, different countries understood that it was necessary to regulate the online gambling market. This would ensure that the online platforms are secure for everyone. One of the markets where online casinos are heavily regulated is the UK. The country’s Gambling Commission imposed a wide range of rules that all the casinos operating on its territory have to follow. That is what makes the list of online casino brands that Wagering Advisors recommends legit. It features brands that are fully legal in the UK and in other markets respectively.
In this article, we’re going to examine the role of the UK Gambling Commission and what it means for brands and players in the country.
The Initial Need to Regulate Online Casinos
As technology moves at a quick pace, it is necessary to establish regulations to keep it in line. Unfortunately, without some degree of control, some parties might abuse the technology to gain profits. Therefore, as soon as online casinos went live, the market was filled with fair play platforms, but there were some shady ones. Essentially, players needed more safety, and the Gambling Commission was the only one that could intervene to help.
This was good news for the top online casinos in the UK, as they had nothing to hide. Their operations were already fully legal. A regulated market removes unlawful competitors and improves trust in the gambling industry as a whole, resulting in more players on their platforms.
On the other hand, players had a lot of benefits with some regulations set in place. They are now certain that all the private information they share with an online platform is safe. Additionally, they know that the games they play go through regulatory bodies, which means that they are 100% fair and not rigged. Therefore, online gambling has become a safe environment that guarantees the highest level of safety and fairness.
What do Casino Regulations Regulate?
The UK Gambling Commission imposes a wide range of rules that online casinos have to follow in order to be fully legal. Some of these regulations include:
- Platform security features – Online casinos collect very sensitive information about their users. Those include payment information details, their names and address. Therefore, online gambling platforms need to be encrypted and secure by using the latest technologies available. The Commission makes sure that operators follow this rule to keep everyone safe while playing online.
- Casino game rules – All the games featured in the online casino have to be fair. This means that there’s transparency on the RTP value of the game. That way, the player knows what to expect from playing it. The same applies to table games and any other game available in an online casino. Additionally, the Commission examines game features and prevents developers from creating any abusive methods that would make the game more addictive.
- Setting spending limits – All regulated platforms must have the spending limit feature available to users. It’s the single best way to prevent players from spending more than they can afford on gambling. Therefore, all the virtual casinos that obtain licenses need to include this feature.
- Self-exclusion functionality – Players who want to abstain from gambling need to have the option to do so. Therefore, all online gambling sites must offer self-exclusion features. They allow the player to walk away from gambling for a set period of time or forever.
- Gambling age – All operators need to put different systems that would with certainty determine that players are of legal age before they can gamble on the platform.
- Licensing – The Gambling Commission decides which brands get to operate based on throughout examination. Those who pay the fee and go through the whole process become eligible to operate in the UK if they meet the Commission’s strict requirements.
Therefore, the commission carefully takes into consideration a large number of factors before making a final decision on who receives a license. This ensures a safe online gambling environment for players.
Do Regulations Get Updated?
The global market of any industry is a like a living organism. As such, it consistently evolves, and the regulatory bodies need to create a new set of rules to adapt. That’s why the UK Gambling Commission regularly updates its rules. After each update, the brands that want to keep their licenses need to comply with new rules within a certain period of time.
A good example of a regulatory update was back in 2021. It was aimed at games that needed to meet certain rules, so they play slower. All auto-play features had to be removed by the operators, and spin speeds had to have a minimum limit of 2.5 seconds. Speeding things up would lead to people spending more money in a shorter period of time. Operators now have to clearly display how much money the person lost and won while they’re playing.
All these smaller adjustments were put in place to keep players safe and prevent them from falling into the addiction trap. Over the years, these types of regulation updates occurred regularly. They are in everyone’s best interest, plus it ensures that the gambling industry keeps helping the economy through taxes and a regulated market that keeps growing.
What is the Latest Online Casino Regulation Change?
There is a big reform of the gambling laws in the UK that will force the operators to take more steps to help players stay safe. The potential danger of addiction is real, and if operators implement the correct steps, they will do everything in their power to prevent this from happening.
The reform in question will tackle the player’s ability to spend huge amounts of money when they can’t afford it. Gambling sites will have to figure out a system that won’t let players spend more than they can handle. On top of that, the system will have to monitor players’ habits and display a warning message if the system believes that they’re practising addictive behaviour.
Some other changes included are:
- New online stake limits – limits will protect players from spending more than they can afford.
- Player protection checks – Player checks will be conducted based on the information provided in order to check for any harmful behaviours of players.
- Higher powers for the Gambling Commission – the Commission will have the authority to block overseas operators in collaboration with courts and UK ISPs.
- Restricting bonus offers – Bonus offers will be carefully examined to ensure that they’re not stimulating unhealthy player habits and practices.
- All loophole removals – Any other loopholes that are known in the industry will be removed.
Conclusion
Online casino regulations are an important part of the online gambling industry in the UK. They ensure that all the players experience fair play. The UK Gambling Commission is among the top regulating authorities. Therefore, UK players have the benefit of playing in virtual casinos that feature the highest quality, performance and safety. The Commission keeps updating its regulations to meet the new player requirements. As the market goes through changes, players can rest assured that newly established rules are in their best interest.
