UK regulator plots universal self-exclusion scheme
Commission collaborating with trade bodies on practice applicable to all GC remote licensees
The UK Gambling Commission is working on a universal self-exclusion scheme that would likely apply to all of its remote gambling licensees, eGaming Review can reveal.
Should it come into force, individuals would be allowed to apply to be self-excluded and have that exclusion recognised by all operators licensed by the Commission, effectively prohibiting them from being able to bet online legally.
“We are currently working with the Remote Gambling Association and others to establish how a national remote self-exclusion system might work in practice,” a Gambling Commission spokesperson told eGR this morning.
The policy was originally discussed during the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Bill’s Report stage in the House of Lords, when the government confirmed that the Commission was reviewing existing self-exclusion methods.
The aim was to strengthen player protection methods and to make significant progress within six months towards a universal exclusion scheme, a time frame that UK minister for sport, tourism and equalities Helen Grant reiterated earlier this week.
RGA chairman Clive Hawkswood said that the trade body would be working closely with the Commission over the next few months but that, apart from its basic principle, no decisions have been taken at this time.
“I think what’s key is that the viability of the options is tested and then something is imposed properly,” he said.
The UK government has stressed the importance of adequate player protection methods during the progress of the new Bill, which was passed into law last week.
Other initiatives include an investigation into the growth of “free bet” advertising and a wider review of advertising involving the UK’s advertising authorities which could result in the adoption of a ban on gambling advertising before the watershed.