Britain’s Betting and Gaming Council has asked the government to honor its commitments regarding frictionless financial risks checks, after it became known that a debate on this issue will be held in parliament.
After a petition was submitted, the debate on this measure will be held on Friday 26th February. The whitepaper on the Gambling Act included several measures that were supported by 100,000 signatures. BGC stated that it supports such measures as long as they don’t impact those who are not in danger of harm from gambling.
The proposals include detailed affordability tests for players who lose PS1,000 in 24 hours (EUR1,162/$1,264), or PS2,000 after 90 days. Operators will also be required to check players who have a net monthly loss exceeding PS125 (EUR1,162/$1,264) or PS500 annually.
BGC’s position hasn’t changed. It still believes that online spending controls should be enhanced. The BGC reiterated that these checks should be seamless.
The Ministers made a promise to the Parliament about frictionless checks. Michael Dugher, CEO of BGC, said that they must now honour their commitments and have the will to do so.
The BGC supports enhanced online gambling checks, but has been very clear that the checks must be focused on people who show signs of gambling addiction or are in danger of harm.
They must be frictionless to the majority. The vast majority of punters have made it clear that they do not want to be subjected to any intrusive inspections.
BGC: enhanced controls should not drive players into the black market
Dugher noted also that most players wager perfectly responsibly and safely. Dugher said that the government must strike a balanced between improving checks while not interfering in the experiences of responsible and safe players.
Dugher stated, “There is no reason to introduce a check that could drive these gamblers into the unregulated and unsafe black market on the internet.” These sites do not offer the same standards and protections as BGC members, nor are they contributing to sports such as horse racing or the Exchequer.
We continue to work with the Gambling Commission, and we believe that a pilot should take place before permanent changes can be introduced.
Dugher will replace Simmonds in the BGC Chair
BGC released a statement after it announced last week that Brigid SIMMONDS would step down from her position as chair of the organization in April. Dugher is set to replace Simmonds and the CEO role will remain vacant until someone else can be found.
Simmonds was the BGC’s chairperson since it began in 2019. He oversaw attempts to represent UK gambling industry.
Dugher, who will take over for Simmonds in the coming months, is responsible for overseeing the White Paper’s implementation.
