Gambling Commission announces new rules on intervention with at-risk players

From September 12, online gaming operators must monitor a range of specific indicators on gambling harm.

UK.- The Gambling Commission has revealed new rules requiring licensed online gambling operators to identify and intervene with at-risk players as a measure to reduce gambling harm. Operators will have to monitor a “specific range of indicators as a required minimum to identify gambling harms”.

The full guidelines are to be published in June ahead of implementation on September 12. The regulator said the new measures had been drawn up due to “continued failings by licensed operators”. It believes that operators have the ability to identify at-risk customers but are still taking too long to intervene.

Operators will now have to bring in automated processes to record indicators of gambling harm and will need to be able to provide evidence of their evaluations and customer interactions to the regulator as part of routine casework. They must prevent marketing to at-risk players and must “take action in a timely manner”, elevating interactions and engaging with customers 

Gambling Commission chief executive Andrew Rhodes said: “Time and time again our enforcement cases show that some operators are still not doing enough to prevent gambling harm. These new rules, developed following an extensive consultation, make our expectations even more explicit.

“We expect operators to identify and tackle gambling harms with fast, proportionate and effective action and we will not hesitate to take tough action on operators who fail to do so.”

The regulator added: “We will continue to work closely with DCMS and take account of the government’s Gambling Act Review. Our broader programmes of work, focused on identifying customers at risk of harm will also continue, including close engagement with the BGC and ICO on the ‘single customer view’ pilot.”

Last week, Rhodes spoke at the ICE 2022 World Regulatory Briefing in London. He used his appearance to call for international gambling regulators to collaborate to tackle new challenges brought by changes in the industry. He voiced hope for collaboration not only in sharing experiences and best practice, but also to conduct joint investigations and other actions.

Earlier in the week, the Gambling Commission had come under fire in the press for awarding itself £155m from National Lottery ticket sales to cover the costs of the tender for the lottery’s next licence.