Online gambling has risen and risen in popularity in recent years, with it being one of the most common pastimes that British people share. We are able to bet on sport, casino classics and fruit machines online so easily these days and this has only helped a thriving industry to become even more successful.
However, with the dangers of gambling well known to many, there are of course lots of regulations regarding online gambling and gambling in general that are written in UK gambling laws. In this article we take a closer look at these laws and legislations, before debating what potential changes to UK gambling laws could be around the corner. From responsible gambling promotion to the legal age of gambling, we cover all in this quick guide.
UK gambling laws
Even when the UK was a member of the European Union, it set it’s own laws on gambling. What is interesting is that laws on online gambling in particular change across the continent, with some nations only legalising the pastime in recent years.
The basics of UK gambling laws is that gambling, in all forms recognised by the Gambling Commission, is legal in the UK for all those of the age 18 and over. Compared to some countries, UK gambling laws are rather lenient, but changes to gambling law in recent years in impacting on how online casinos in particular can operate.
Changes to UK gambling law in 2019
In 2019, there were some noteworthy changes to UK gambling laws which took online casinos and pay by phone casinos into consideration greatly. With the aim to identify and prevent criminal activity in online casinos and to put responsible gambling further into the collective conscious of British players, the law ruled that those with remote licenses for gambling must:
- verify, as a minimum, the name, address and date of birth of a customer before allowing them to gamble
- ask for any additional verification information promptly
- inform customers, before they can deposit funds, of the types of identity documents or other information that might be required, the circumstances in which the information might be required, and how it should be supplied to the licensee
- take reasonable steps to ensure that information on their customers’ identities remains accurate.
Possible changes to UK gambling laws
As far as changes to UK gambling laws regarding slots games go, there is always the possibility that the gambling commission could tighten up restrictions. With the safety and well-being of the British public in mind, the likelihood of law changes are also high and the focus would be on making gambling safer and raising awareness of responsible gambling.
If the government’s goal is to reduce the amount of people gambling in the UK online, then the most obvious action to take would be the higher the gambling age to 21. This would wipe out three years worth of gamblers who, in some people’s opinions, could be the most vulnerable. The Labour Party mentioned tightening gambling laws regularly in their most recent but albeit, unsuccessful manifesto. Play today!