UKGC proposes suicide reporting clause in licence conditions update
Regulator suggests operators flag up if they discover a customer has taken his or her own life, with enforcement action should firms fail to act
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has proposed that licensees must inform the regulator if a customer who has gambled with them has died by suicide.
The plans form part of a three-pronged consultation launched by the UKGC as it looks to bolster its powers and customer protection measures.
The UKGC said that it was its current view that licensees should inform the Birmingham-based watchdog when they become aware that a customer has taken their own life.
The regulator noted this would enable it to assess the licensee’s compliance and help inform ongoing consideration of policy and whether further protection measures are needed in the sector.
As a licence condition, the proposal would see operators notify the UKGC if they become aware of a suicide, including information such as the person’s name, date of birth and a summary of their gambling activity.
In such an instance, the operator would have to inform the regulator regardless of whether the customer was still actively gambling with the firm at the time of death.
The UKGC said that failing to report a suicide would constitute a breach of the licence condition, which would result in the commencement of enforcement action, which could lead to a sanction.
However, the UKGC said that it would not expect operators to “actively investigate or verify the information” and that it would only expect disclosures if licensees became aware of a suicide through media reports or were notified by a family member.
The regulator added that such a clause would require no additional data requirements, with the information needed covered by the retention of data for a minimum of five years following the end of a customer relationship.
Elsewhere, the UKGC is looking to expand GAMSTOP’s reach to include email and telephone betting in an attempt to close the current loophole in the legislation.
The third proposal put forward by the regulator would see a small technical update to conditions surrounding payment service providers to reflect current legislative provisions.
The consultation for all three proposals will run until 23 May 2023.