The Key Rules and Responsibilities When Betting Online
Posted by Harry Kane on Tuesday, August 9, 2022
When the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) announced its core strategic objectives at the beginning of 2018, there was a clear focus on safeguarding vulnerable players and restricting access to underage gamblers. These objectives were to be continued through 2021 and beyond, while both the regulator and government continue to introduce increasingly stringent safeguards for players.
This reflects that players have rights when wagering online, with online casinos and remote betting sites required to protect their customers and the integrity of their financial transactions. However, players also have responsibilities, and a number of laws that they need to follow before betting online.
We’ll explore these unique rights, rules and responsibilities below, while asking how they help to keep players safe in an increasingly competitive and stacked iGaming marketplace. So, let’s get into it!
The Regulatory State of the Market
Since the UKGC’s unveiled its player-centric core strategic objectives in 2018, the regulator has dished out a plethora of sizeable fines for non-compliance (especially in relation to anti-money laundering rule breaches and failing to protect vulnerable players). Entain and William Hill are two of the biggest brands to be sanctioned, along with Kindred’s subsidiaries 32Red and Platinum Gaming.
In the case of William Hill, the brand has actually paid out a staggering £25.4 million in fines since 2018, with two separate sanctions imposed for failing to safeguard players or prevent money laundering through their various sites. Most recently, the brand was hit with a record £19.2 million fine, for what were described as “widespread and alarming” failures, the majority of which pertained to social responsibility.
These fines have become increasingly large and highly publicised in recent times, as the UKGC has ramped up its regulatory efforts and even the UK government has moved to legislate within the industry. Both parties have also looked to combine more aggressive and restrictive laws with stronger enforcement, while the recent gambling review will only intensify this trend going forward.
Certainly, two of the key proposal within this review appear to have been recommended with safeguarding and ant-money laundering failures in mind. Firstly, the £2 slots cap has been created to both safeguard young players, while simultaneously making it harder to wager vast sums of cash in relatively short periods of time.
Then there’s the proposed move to introduce affordability checks, specifically for high rollers or players who lose a predetermined amount of money within a given timeframe. This also tackles the practice of money laundering directly, while ensuring that players wager responsibility and within their financial means.
Of course, there will remain issues in terms of how operators enforce such laws should they come into play, while the measures included in the gambling review do little to tackle the underlying issues that cause safeguarding challenges in the first place. Still, they represent a clear reminder of the current iGaming laws and the duty that operators have to their customers.
The Aspects of iGaming Law – What Rules Bind Operators?
Now, let’s take a much closer look at the distinct laws and rules that bind operators in the UK, including both online casinos and sportsbooks. These are central to brands being able to receive and retain their licenses, while they also outline precisely how they can safeguard customers in the most effective way possible.
· Age Verification: Players must be 18 or older to wager at a UK casino (we’ll touch on this further below), but it’s the role of operators to verify their customers’ ages and prevent underage gambling. While sites currently verify their players automatically and in the background as their registration is being processed, they may also ask you to provide supporting documents such as a passport or driving license.
· Anti-Money Laundering Guidelines: Online casinos are also compelled to comply with strict anti-money laundering laws, which require them to proactively prevent this through their sites. Verifying each player’s identity is also key here, while operators and customer service representatives should also be able to identify suspicious betting behaviour and investigate this accordingly.
· Fair and Transparent Gaming: All licensed online casinos must also ensure that their games are fair and the associated outcomes are dictated by random number generating (RNG) software. Ideally, games should also be tested by independent and licensed agencies, while the return-to-player (RTP) rate for each title should be published to provide greater transparency for all parties involved.
· Responsible Gambling: Since 2018, online casino and sports betting brands have also been required to make actionable responsible gambling tools and resources available to customers. These include deposit limits, which can be set by the player for each day, week or month, and restrictions in terms of how long you’re able to wager for during a typical iGaming session.
· Self-Exclusion: Another key responsible gambling tool is self-exclusion, and all licensed betting brands are required to make this available to their customers. This enables you to take control of your activity and ask an operator to restrict your account access and cease communications for a fixed period of time. Through third-party platforms such as GAMSTOP, you can create blanket self-exclusion and prevent yourself from betting at any online casino or sportsbook.
· Customer Complaints: Last, but not least, all online casinos are required to offer customer support and a clearly defined complaint’s procedure. This ensures that you can raise any issues or concerns with the operator directly, or escalate problems to the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) who can investigate further. This also explains why it’s important to wager at licensed sites who fall under the jurisdiction of the regulator.
The Last Word
As you can see from this list of responsibilities, players also have rules that they must adhere to when betting online. For example, you must be aged 18 or over to wager legally online, while it’s also important to use your correct name and accurate signup details when registering.
You should also wager with the purpose of pursuing returns, rather than attempting to launder money through betting sites. If you’re asked to provide proof of earning as a high roller, you’re also legally required to ensure that you act in good faith and supply the operator with accurate data.
Respecting these rights enables you to stay within the law at all times, while making it much easier for operators to protect you and minimise the risk posed by compulsive behaviour. You must also recognise the responsibilities of betting brands too, as this enables you to spot rogue operators and hold these to account where required.