Online Casino Regulation

In Great Britain, the Gambling Commission issues gambling licenses, regulates, advises and guides players and gambling businesses. There are three licensing objectives set out in the Gambling Act 2005.

• To prevent gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime or disorder or being used to support crime.
• To ensure that gambling is conducted fairly and openly by operators
• To protect vulnerable people, including children, from exposure to gambling.

The UK Gambling Commission is responsible for all licensing applications meeting the above objectives. 

How The UK Gambling Commission Regulates

• By licensing gambling businesses 
• By licensing those who work in the gambling industry in specific roles
• The UK Gambling Commission sets out Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice
• The UK Gambling Commission carries out enforcement action and prosecution work if an individual of a business breaches tier licence conditions.
• By working closely with the gambling industry to raise standards 
• The UK Gambling Commission provides advice to players and the public.

Why Regulation is Important

The UK Gambling Commission aim to make gambling safer. A spokesman from NewCasinoSites.me.uk stated, “vulnerable people in our society must have protection from those sites that did not responsibly operate gambling businesses. However, all gambling businesses must now sign up to GAMTOP (the self-exclusion scheme,) allowing consumers to exclude themselves from all online gambling for some time has helped raise the standard of UK online casinos”.

How to Find a Responsible Online Casino

Before you decide to transfer any money into an online casino account, there are some things you should check.

• The online casino should hold a British Gambling Commission licence displayed on the website. The license number should be clickable and links you to the UK Gambling Commission public register. Make sure that the details of the licence match the public register
• You should be aware of restrictions on bonuses or promotional offers like a minimum spend level (before you can withdraw winnings.) 
• You should be able to find the online casinos’ addresses, all trading names, current licence status and website domain names easily.
• Each game has its terms and conditions. These will help you understand what you are betting on before making an informed choice.

How The Gambling Commission Can Enforce its’ Regulations

On the 3rd August 2022, the Gambling Commission fined LeoVegas £1.2m after finding the operator guilty of anti-money laundering and social responsibility failures in the UK.

LeoVegas is also subject to an audit and handed an official warning to ensure that it is administering social responsibility and anti-money laundering protocols.

LeoVegas failed on several points to meet the UK Gambling Commissions Regulations.

• The operator set six hours as the point at which customers were made to take a 45-minute cool-off period without explaining how playing for six hours was the point at which harm may occur. 
• Leo Vegas relies too heavily on ineffective threshold triggers and inadequate information regarding how much a customer should be allowed to spend (based on income, wealth or any other risk factor.)
• The inappropriate controls allowed significant amounts of spending to take place within a short time without LeoVegas knowing anything about their customer’s financial situations.
• The financial triggers for anti-money laundering reviews were set too high to effectively manage money laundering (or terrorist financing risks.)