UKGC delays updated at-risk marketing regulation
Regulator holds fire on banning marketing for at-risk customers and operator intervention measures as part of new update
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has announced that it will implement the majority of its new requirements on remote customer interaction on 12 September 2022 but will delay two key measures going live.
In April, the regulator published a new set of requirements which ensured remote gambling operators had to do more to interact with customers at potential risk of gambling harm.
Following on in June, the UKGC published guidance for operators regarding what they need to do to comply with the requirements as well as the timeframe for implementing any changes before the rules come into effect.
The industry then requested an extension to the timeframe due to the technical challenges some remote operators indicated they were facing in delivering full compliance by the deadline.
After some consideration, the UKGC has decided to stick to its guns on the deadline for most of the requirements but with two exceptions.
The first is the requirement to take timely action when there are indicators of vulnerability identified and follow the regulator’s approach as set out in the guidance.
These requirements include monitoring of customer behaviour to establish if they are displaying signs of gambling-related harm, along with the development of an automated process for monitoring.
The other exception is the requirement to prevent marketing and the take-up of new bonus offers where there are strong indicators of harm.
In addition, the UKGC considers that it would be beneficial to use the time to have further consultation on the matter with those associated with this guidance update.
As part of the consultation process, the regulator is particularly interested in hearing about good practice in implementing the requirements, based on the lessons learned in the time between the initial publication and when the consultation begins.
This consultation is expected to be launched in late September and last for six weeks. Once this is complete, the UKGC is aiming to publish provisional guidance in December 2022, with it taking effect two months after the publication date.
The regulator hopes to have all elements of the updated requirements implemented by February 2023.