UK Gambling Commission says slot reforms helped reduce play intensity 

New reforms banned autoplay and limited spin speeds from November 2021.

UK.- The British Gambling Commission has reported on the initial impact of new regulations for online slots that it introduced in November 2021. The regulator says there was “some evidence” that the new protections resulted in reduced play intensity and that it had not seen any unintended consequences.

The new restrictions imposed in 2021 included a ban on autoplay, reverse withdrawals, features that speed up play and on spin speeds faster than 2.5 seconds. Sound effects or images that create the false impression of a positive result when the amount won is below the original stake were also banned, and a requirement was introduced for operators to clearly display total losses and time played throughout a session.

The Gambling Commission’s report makes several conclusions following a period of over 18 months in which it was able to analyse the impact of the changes. It based its conclusions on data from its quarterly Online Tracker gambling prevalence telephone survey.

 It said it had seen “some evidence” of reduced play intensity in slots play and “no evidence” that player’s enjoyment had been affected as a result. It saw no increase in staking in response to the limit on spin speeds. Meanwhile, survey results suggest that simultaneous gambling on multiple games or tabs decreased.

It said: “The report shows that despite a cap on the maximum spin speed, the proportion of stakes at the highest values decreased in the months following the changes and the proportion of sessions lasting in excess of an hour also decreased. As a whole, general engagement with slots increased over the same time period.”

Director for policy and research Tim Miller said: “Our assessment of the changes to online slots games has shown indications of reduced play intensity with no significant negative impacts on play or behaviours.

“That’s positive, but we aren’t complacent and will continue to monitor this specific part of the sector for both any unintended circumstances, or non-compliance.”