Published on: 02.02.2021

New Measures for Safer Gambling Introduced by the UK Gambling Commisson

The UK Gambling Commission is known to put an emphasis on safe and responsible gambling. Today, they've released new regulations ↱ that have to be implemented by online casinos and game operators by end of October 2021.

These measures affect mostly online slots, as they are the games with the highest losses attached. They are the result of a public consultation, which was held with member of the public, industry representatives, stakeholders and also players.

The new regulations from the UKGC include extensive changes to online slots and their features, as well as some changes that apply to the operators.

Safer Online Slots

Online slots carry the highest risk for players, and they have also the highest average loss limit. The games can be played very fast, and they are designed to be immersive and intensive. It's easy to forget time when you play them. The changes aim to make these games safer for players, giving them more control over the time and money they spend playing them, and making the games slower overall.

The option to speed up the slot will be banned, and every spin has to take at least 2.5 seconds. Also, features that create the illusion that a player has some influence on the outcome of the random spin won't be allowed anymore. These can be for example the stop button to stop the reels or click games where you think you have to click in the right moment to win.

Automatic play options won't be allowed anymore either. Players will actively have to click the button to spin the reels.

To not create false illusions of winnings, slots won't be allowed to have win fanfare sounds that trigger on low-value wins that are equal to or less than the initial stake.

These changes will allow players to have more control over the game overall. They may seem trivial, but slowing down the game will leave more time for the player to think about the game and make a better decision if he wants to stop or not.

Also, casino operators will have to display in a prominent place information to the player on how long he's played, how much he's lost and how much he's won. This information is to be clearly displayed to the player at all times when he's playing.

Changes to the reverse withdrawal

Another change will apply to the casino operators and their payment policies. At the moment it's allowed for a player to cancel a previously initiated withdrawal request before the casino processed the payment. The money would then be credited back to the player's account into the cash balance and he could play with it again.

With the new measures in place, these reverse-withdrawals will no longer be permitted, and a casino has to process the withdrawal once it's been initiated. This measure aims to curb temptation.

Responsible Gambling

Do you feel like your gambling habit is taking over your life, or that you may gamble more than you like? You can set limits for deposits, bets or losses, or even self-exclude from the casinos, either at the casino, or through Gamstop ↱, and you can get confidential help through begambleaware.org ↱.

Take a look at our guide for responsible gaming to find out more what you can do to protect yourself.