Phased In
The United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) and the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) have announced the launch of new rules and standards that must be adhered to by operators with a UK license. These rules, which were initially outlined in the 2023 White Paper, will be phased into existence over the next nine months, finishing in February 2025.
Financial Checks
One of the more controversial elements of the White Paper was the announcement that light financial checks would be put into place. As per the rules, these will be light financial checks that will run a quick check on customers with a net deposit of more than £150 a month. Checks will be initially brought in for players who deposit more than £500 a month from August, with the £150 a month checks starting on February 28th, 2025.
This will be tested in a pilot over the course of six months. The Commission will assess a player’s risk of gambling harm based on a soft-financial check which will use data from other gambling companies and credit agencies.
Advertising Restrictions
Another major change moving forward will involve direct marketing. From January 2025, companies must provide opt-in to direct advertising related to specific products, with the target being to stop players receiving unwanted ads.
Land-based operators will not be subjected to these changes. However, they will now need to use the test-25 policy used in the UK by shops and pubs. This requires them to check the ID of any player who appears to be under the age of 25. This comes into action on August 30th this year.
Gameplay Changes
The other major changes come in the way games are played. Games will need to remove autoplay, turbo, and slam-stop features, and spins will be unable to run for less than five seconds.
Another notable change will see in-game audio and video celebrations removed if a player wins less than their stake back. All of these in-game changes will be implemented from January 17th, 2025.
