Why Have Demo Slots Been Conditionally Banned in the UK?

Posted by Harry Kane on Tuesday, August 30, 2022

As part of a sweeping and online gambling review in Great Britain, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has changed the way in which players access and enjoy slots in recent times. This has been influenced by a number of measures, each of which sought to make online slots less alluring and accessible.

Some of these measures made more immediate sense than others, however, and the decision to restrict so-called “demo” slots raised eyebrows among players and operators alike. After all, demo slots are completely free to play and don’t offer any real-time cash payouts if you win, while they involve the use of digitised coins that have no monetary value at all.

In this post, we’ll take a closer look at some of the slot gaming measures imposed by the UKGC, while exploring the conditional ban on demo modes and some of the reasons why the regulator may have taken this controversial step.

What Changes Have We Seen Made to Slot Games in the UK?

The conditional ban on demo slots is one of five similar regulatory changes made by the UKGC, each of which has had an impact on the vertical and the way in which individual games are presented. Here’s a brief breakdown of the four major adjustments and how they’ve impacted an entire library of online slots.

The Removal of Skill Features or Those That Speed up Play

Until recently, some video slots included so-called “skill features”, which afforded players greater control over some aspects of the game. However, these were irrelevant to the randomly generated results, and in this respect, they afforded players the illusion of control and convinced individuals to wager more as a result. In addition to banning skill features, the regulator also outlawed any feature that sped up play and made it harder for players to make informed decisions in real-time.

Banning Slot Spin Speeds Faster Than 2.5 Seconds

On a similar note, the regulator took aim at the speed at which reels spin and how much players are subsequently able to wager per minute. More specifically, they outlawed slot spin speeds that were faster than 2.5 seconds, ensuring that players had breathing space between turns and weren’t encouraged to stake huge amounts within relatively short periods of time.

Making ‘Autoplay’ a Thing of the Past

‘Autoplay’ was an iconic slot game feature for years, with games enabling players to automate anywhere between 25 and 100 spins on average in order to speed up gameplay. Each of these spins would then play out at the same specified coin value and stake amount, but it has the effect of causing players to lose track of their gameplay and how much they were wagering. It certainly prevented them from making informed gambling decisions in real-time.

The Eradication of Sounds or Imagery That Impact or Subvert Gameplay

The regulator also placed a keen focus on gameplay, and particularly any sounds or imagery that would give the illusion of a win or payout that delivered a return on the player’s stake. Such immersive features would often be used by slots to suggest that a player had won a marked or significant sum of cash, when in fact the value of the win was either equal to, or below, the original stake. This was won of the most significant and important changes from the perspective of the regulator.

OK, But What About the Ban on Demo Slots?

These measures all make logical sense, as they’re focused on slot game features that either distort the gameplay experience or the actual rate of return experienced by players. As we’ve already touched on, however, the decision to conditionally ban or restrict demo mode gameplay makes far less sense, either from the perspective of players or operators.

After all, demo slots were seen as enabling players to test different titles and experience their variance first hand, making it easier to set a viable betting strategy and see if the game is right for them without risking their hard-earned cash. As for online casinos, they could leverage demo slots as a fee marketing tool, enticing gamblers to subsequently play for real money.

However, the regulator appears to have identified two fundamental flaws with how demo slots are structured. Firstly, they opined that it was possible for players to access demo slots without them having verified their age or identity, creating a potential gateway into real-money gambling for young and vulnerable players. According to research commissioned by the UKGC, there are an estimated 55,000 young people (aged between 11 and 16) who are thought to have a problem with gambling on these shores. A further 85,000 are considered to be at risk, with these individuals at the point of immersion and likely to see demo games as a pathway towards real-money betting.

Secondly, the UKGC has observed multiple instances where demo slots were used as part of a scam at rogue casinos, creating a scenario where unfettered access may put a much broader selection of players at risk. So, the logical step was for the UKGC to build a virtual wall around demo slots, and only make them accessible to registered players who had gone through the age verification process now imposed by online casinos.

The Last Word

Given the well-known benefits of demo slots and their widespread popularity online, it makes sense that the decision to restrict and conditionaly ban them would have been

met with controversy. It’s certainly a less obvious regulatory move, and one that doesn’t seem as pressing as the others referenced earlier.

However, the regulator has justification for imposing such a conditional ban, especially in its quest to safeguard young and vulnerable players online. It’s also worth noting that it hasn’t imposed a complete ban, instead looking to restrict access on a selected basis and adopt a more balanced approach.