April 6, 2020

The Commission says that the collaborative work will lead to restrictions and prevention of under 25s being recruited to VIP schemes, a reduction on intensity of play (such as the speed of spin, and removing turbo buttons), and a joint effort to shield children and young people from online gambling advertising. The Commission welcomes the recommendations made by the industry on safer products, but challenges the industry to go further.

This new approach to accelerate progress to protect consumers from gambling harm was set by the Commission’s chief executive, Neil McArthur, in October 2019. Working groups made up of senior leaders from the industry were formed in January 2020, concentrating on use of VIP incentives, safer advertising online and the use of safer product design.

The Industry working groups featured over 30 operators, co-ordinated by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC). As part of this work, the Commission ran workshops with people with first-hand experience of gambling harm, as well as collaborating with GamCare to ensure that its service users’ experience would also help inform any outcomes. Those involved in the work will continue to develop and rapidly implement the proposals, and some measures around VIP customers will be implemented as soon as 14 April 2020.

The Commission says that it will now launch formal consultations on these areas to ensure that the new measures are incorporated into its regulatory framework, which means that all operators will have to abide by the new consumer protection rules. For further information on the progress made, click here.