Due to the massive development of technology in recent years, many online businesses are flourishing. Online gambling makes no exception. More and more people are attracted to the idea of spending their spare time checking sites like kingcasinobonus.co.uk and playing casino games by using their portable devices.
Also, the software providers present in the industry are in great competition in order to create games that have top graphics and better gameplay. The products are diverse and have more and more themes, based on the consumers’ tastes.
It is true that many of the products available on the Internet are present in their demo version as well. Everyone can play those games for free in order to get used to them or to find out whether they like them or not.
However, gambling gets more exciting and intense when real money is used. The feelings you get when you combine luck and strategy in order to win some cash are incomparable with anything else. Of course, the same applies for video games, but this comes without the risk of losing money.
There are hundreds of online casinos on the Internet created with the sole purpose of offering unforgettable moments to the customers. Unfortunately, there are many people who transform this passion into addiction and forget how to play with responsibility.
This is where the members of the UK Gambling Commission intervene. With the help of regulations and laws, they try to make the activity of gambling a fair and secure environment.
Recently, they have gathered together with stakeholders, members of public and gambling business in order to discuss two problems that might get harmful for gamblers. The two issues that have been brought up to the discussion are the option of gambling by using credit cards and the improvement of gambler control procedures on Category B gaming machines.
Online gambling using credit cards
It is not a secret that the United Kingdom Gambling Commission has already discussed this issue during some meetings in the past years. They consider that it is not right for people to gamble money they don’t own.
The idea of using borrowed money should not be encouraged and this activity is already categorised as a risk factor. However, in the latest meeting, the Gambling Commission asked for meaningful input in order to decide whether certain restrictions (even an outright ban) would be necessary in order to decrease the risks for the consumers.
Gambler protection and category B games machines
The second issue that has been discussed is about category B gaming machines and the protection of consumers. Gambling businesses will have to meet some requirements stated in the British Government’s Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures about the protection of the players.
That is why starting from April 2019, the stake on Category B2 gaming machines (also called Fixed Odds Betting Terminals) will be changed from £100 to £2. Opposed to Category B2 terminals, there are Category B1 and Category B3 machines that offer maximum stakes of £5 and £2, but the speed of play being up to eight times higher.
Given the fact that data collection show that all these three types of gaming terminals are almost equally risky, the Gambling Commission wants to take into consideration some options.
These include the possibility of introducing alert messages about gambling responsibly. Moreover, tracking play by using some limits and alerts about the time and money spent on that particular terminal by the player is taken into account.
The executive director of the Gambling Commission, Paul Hope, stated: “We are exploring measures that could help reduce the risk of harm to consumers who use their credit cards to gamble online, and to those who play on all Category B machines.
We want consumers, gambling firms and other interested parties to have their say and provide evidence that will help us make gambling safer.”
