The United Kingdom Gambling Commission has announced brand tough measures on betting for betting firms. These new rules have been necessitated by concerns over misleading advertisements that pertain to bonuses and promotions.
These new rules and regulations assure gamblers of better protection. They also empower the Gambling Commission to levy unlimited fines and fees for any breach of these rules or the associated consumer laws. Some of these possible breaches include but are not limited to misleading advertisements, those that tend to target small children, or those that make gambling appear great and normal.
Other than these, the gambling firms that send out spam marketing contents such as text messages and e-mails will also be in for trouble under the new rules. They will also be required to follow all the laid down United Kingdom advertising codes whilst putting in place a more robust conflict resolution mechanism for the gamblers.
The rules shall come into force on October 31st, 2018. The commission shall, after coming into effect of the rules, impose an eight-week window for the casino operators to resolve any complaints with their clients and customers.
These rules are expected to facilitate the process of resolving any breaches of the consumer laws. These include such aspects as unrealistic restrictions on the withdrawal process, misleading promotions, and impractical bonuses.
To help the consumers make the right purchasing decisions, websites like www.smartphonecasinos.co.uk have sprouted. It reviews the various online casino operators on a regular basis and provides independent assessments of their competence from time to time.
While commenting on these developments, Neil McArthur, the Gambling Commission’s Chief Executive, had these to say:“The Gambling Commission is intent on cracking down on the firms that tend to treat consumers unfairly. This is because consumer protection is a topmost priority for us. It subsequently has to be a priority for the gambling operators as well. The changes we have instituted will surely protect consumers from unscrupulous and misleading advertisements and promotions. They will also see to it that the consumers can withdraw their earnings faster and easier. This is not to mention that the rules shall facilitate the resolution of consumer complaints.”
The founder of Justice for Punters, Brian Chappell, on the other hand, had these to say: “It is great to note that the Gambling Commission has finally acknowledged that gambling operators have to be subjected to stricter regulatory regimes. Only time will tell whether these new powers shall be used accordingly and if the gamblers shall be able to derive their rights promptly after a mistreatment. Even though the announcements incomprehensive, it is nonetheless highly welcome.”
Way back in 2016, while in partnership with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the United Kingdom Gambling Commission established formal investigations to find out whether the online gambling companies were indeed mistreating their customers.
The findings of the investigations led the authority to launch enforcement actions against several gambling operators the following year. This was after the companies were accused of breaking the consumer laws with regards to the promotions.
From the foregoing, it is clear that the United Kingdom Gambling Commission greatly benefits casino operating sites. It does so mainly by instilling confidence in the potential gamblers and encourage them to gamble more. This certainly leads to an increase in the profit margins of the said firms.