The Global Impact of UK Gambling’s Biggest Shake-up Since 2005

Given that the United Kingdom is both a leading global financial hub and a country with a healthy attitude to gambling and betting that is emulated around the world, it’s natural that any significant development in its gambling infrastructure is going to have considerable influence on the industry around the world.

Numerous big name gambling companies are based in the UK or are UK-facing, and in the case of real money online poker this is especially true. If a potentially game-changing legal shift in the gambling landscape happens in the UK, it’s safe to say that the reverberations will be felt around the world.

With this in mind, our attention is drawn to the UK where, this week, it was announced that after prolonged and what many consider long overdue considerations involving the Government and the Gambling Commission, there will be the biggest shake-up of the gambling industry since 2005.        

The gambling industry, now that it is so universally acceptable (a soundbite that has already been repeated countless times is how it’s now possible to “carry a casino around in your pocket”) is very much different to what it was back in 2005, and a world apart from the pre-internet days when some of the more fundamental rules and guidelines were hammered out and set in law.

Moreover, the whole sector is also going to always provoke serious debate, with those in the laissez faire camp on one side, not wishing to interfere with an industry that is a source of entertainment for millions that provides employment for many and a significant level of revenue for the UK Treasury, and the more liberal lobby who deem the risk to the potential and actual victims of gambling as the most important factor.     

The two sides of the ‘argument’ – inasmuch as there is one – will never agree, so a compromise of some sorts is key. It’s no surprise, then, that the publication of the Gambling Commission’s advice it compiles for the Government as part of the Gambling Review is bound to receive both criticism and praise in equal measure. For some it goes too far, while for others not far enough. This is indeed a classic example of not being able to please all of the people, all of the time…

What Will the Gambling Industry Changes Be?

Precisely how and when the proposed changes will come into being remains unclear, although it will probably be some time in 2024. As for the advice itself, it’s not difficult to guess that much of it revolves around the relationship between accessibility and the risk to vulnerable customers, while at the same time seeking to keep in place an environment that doesn’t impinge on the vast majority, and ensures that everyone is treated fairly and not subjected to overly inhibiting rules.

What Can Poker Fans Expect?

As far as poker players are concerned, we can pinpoint the relevant elements among the Commission’s proposed advice, suggested legislative adjustments and a rafter of commitments for strengthening requirements on operators, with the more potentially troublesome results already being experienced by poker fans. Specifically, these are those instances when someone might deposit in greater frequency and larger amounts than is usual for them, and as a consequence are subject to various checks and, in some cases, restrictions on their accounts. We can expect this to become much more commonplace, with numbers thrown around in this week’s announcement along the lines of a £500 loss in one day, or £2000 during a month, for example, as sufficient to trigger these checks and ‘proof of funds’ and so on. Clearly, this is much easier said than done, not least because the suggested figures don’t carry the same meaning from player to player, but we can be to some extent reassured by the Gambling Commission’s choice of language on this matter, which is “…frictionless checks that are not disruptive for consumers” – not disrupting players is an imperative if the online poker eco-system is going to continue to flourish.   

Meanwhile, the poker world continues to turn, and if you want to make sure that you get as much from the game as you can, then check out the latest online poker bonuses and offers in our regularly updated info section.

Good luck at the tables, and have fun!

The Global Impact of UK Gambling’s Biggest Shake-up Since 2005

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