Gambling is a very popular hobby all over the world and surely one of the epicenters is the United Kingdom.
Since this is the industry that is rapidly expanding, with its growth, the arrival of new users is inevitable, therefore, the UKGC decided to incorporate stricter measurements that will protect its system.
What Are They Going To Do?
First and foremost, they want to make sure that ID checks are sterner in order to prevent any form of cheating the system during bets placement by the gamblers.
Namely, just recently an outline was developed with a goal to help gamblers. The thing that was alarming was the fact that not long ago, a gambler who had self-referred was still able to place bets online by just changing their personal details.
A spokesperson stated that UKGC know what type of problems are circling in this industry and that digging deeper means revealing more of them.
GamStop As A Helpful Tool:
She commented on recent events by stating:
“We will shortly announce the outcome of a consultation on ID verification and if our proposals are implemented later this year, gambling businesses will have to prevent customers gambling using incorrect details.
GamStop is also still in its testing phase and is working on improvements. All self-exclusion systems need to be as effective as possible to protect consumers and once we are satisfied with the scheme we’ll expect all operators to take part”
It was designed almost one year ago and, in the meantime, approximately around 50,000 people have registered in order to enable addicts to ban themselves from these types of platforms.
Disappointing Results:
Although in the beginning it was provided with useful information, it wasn’t as successful as expected.
It was later revealed that it wasn’t stable enough and that it could potentially be exploited. Fiona Palmer, GamStop’s CEO, was obviously aware of the situation hence, she stated:
“We are taking on board the feedback and we are looking to improve the scheme.”
Still Hopeful:
Even though previous results weren’t encouraging, Matt Zarb-Cousin, a spokesperson for the Campaign for Fairer Gambling wasn’t so shocked by these facts, still, he believes that the system will showcase some enhancements in the nearest future.
He then added:
“Even if GamStop was completely accepted as self-exclusion it would only apply to British gambling sites and sites not licensed with the Gambling Commission would still be accessible. To be effective [self-exclusion] has to be layered … I am involved with Gamban and it has been evaluated as the most effective blocking software.”
Source: “UK Gambling Commission Proposes Stricter ID Checks To Prevent Cheating” https://europeangaming.eu/portal/latest-news/2019/01/16/36415/uk-gambling-commission-proposes-stricter-id-checks-to-prevent-cheating/. European Gaming. January 17, 2019.
Comment: I’m glad they are doing something about this.
