UKGC Launches Third Round of White Paper Consultations

The United Kingdom’s Gambling Commission (UKGC) has launched a new consultation into safer gambling as Britain’s gaming reforms continue. The UK has been working hard to modernize its gambling laws but striking the right balance between fair regulation and player protection has proven a challenging task.

The Third Round of Consultations Begins

The Gambling Act white paper, which was stuck in limbo for several years, outlined a number of proposed changes to how gambling is governed. However, many of these changes have since become subject to controversy amid intense debates about their potential impact.

Because of that, the UKGC has been proceeding carefully and taking the public’s opinion in mind. The regulator, which already hosted two consultations into the safer gambling measures from the white paper, has now announced a third one.

Set tor run for 16 weeks, the consultation period started on January 29 and will run until May 20, 2025. This time, the UKGC will inquire about the public’s opinion on the land-based gaming machine technical standards and the related testing strategy.

The New Measures Would Change the Gaming Machine Standards

In its official release, the UKGC confirmed that this round of consultations will examine technical standard proposals, which include several hypothetical measures.

One of the proposals seeks to introduce five new standards, a license condition and a social responsibility code provision. All of these measures would be designed to make gaming machines safer “at every stage of the consumer journey.” The proposals include time and spending limit tools, mandatory safer gambling messaging and the display of net position and session time.

The current technical standard proposals also envision changes to three existing standards that would further improve the player experience.

Additionally, the white paper proposed combining the existing 12 gaming machine technical standards into a single one. At the same time, the proposal sought to align the format to the remote gambling and software standards for further clarity.

Finally, the paper proposed updating the gaming machine technical standards and the related testing strategy to remove obsolete material.

Tim Miller Advised the Public to Weigh in on the Matter

Tim Miller, the UKGC executive director for research and policy commented on the matter, emphasizing that the regulatory body remains committed to following the white paper measures and making gaming safer. According to him, the consultation process reflects this commitment.

He acknowledged that regulatory changes are no trifling matter and that they will likely have an economic impact on the sector. Because of that, he urged the public and industry stakeholders to share their opinions on the matter.

We are encouraging consumers, gambling businesses and other interested groups to share evidence that will assist us in measuring both the likely regulatory impacts of the proposed changes and the likely costs of implementing them. This evidence will be invaluable to helping make a robust assessment on whether the benefits to consumers are proportionate to the costs involved.

Tim Miller, executive director for research and policy, UKGC

In other news, experts critiqued the gradual separation between gambling treatment and the broader industry, saying that healthcare experts should capitalize on the industry’s expertise.