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Gamblers will be required to set deposit and time limits on gaming machines if new proposals from the UK Gambling Commission are approved.
The UK gambling regulator has opened a into gaming machines, including planned changes to a broad range of regulations, including a new licence condition, changes to the social responsibility code and new technical standards.
The headline change would be a requirement for machines of all types to require limits on time and money to be set by customers when they begin gambling.
Currently, B2 machines, otherwise known as fixed-odds betting terminals, must ask players if they wish to set limits.
Under the commissions proposals, that condition would be amended to cover all categories of gaming machines in casinos, bingo halls, betting shops and adult gaming centres.
Operators will be required to ensure that their machines offer a default option of no more than a 20-minute session and 瞿150 in deposits.
Customers will be able to set their own limits, but these must not be more than 60 minutes or 瞿450 deposited. Setting no limits will not be an option.
When players hit their assigned limits they will not be prohibited from playing further, but must take a mandatory break in play of at least 30 seconds. An alert must also be sent to staff in the venue to inform them that a gambler has reached their pre-set threshold, the proposals say.
Other planned changes detailed in the consultation include adopting industry-suggested technical changes to allow for more exciting gaming machine features. These are:
- Game links adjusting the value and the number of repeats permissible on Category C gaming machines.
- Game links removing the need for a 50/50 chance following a losing game on Category B gaming machines.
- Live jackpots allowing a player to gamble a live jackpot win on all categories of gaming machine.
The remaining proposals cover changes to technical standards largely aimed at streamlining rules or making them consistent across different forms of machines.
The consultation forms part of the Gambling Commissions ongoing work to realise the plans laid out in the from 2023.
The white paper sets out that a top priority is ensuring that gambling happens safely. We share this commitment and today's consultation proposes how we could implement gaming machine changes in the land-based sector, said Tim Miller, commission executive director for research and policy.
We recognise that regulatory changes that impact the design of machines can come with considerable costs. We are encouraging consumers, gambling businesses and other interested groups to share evidence that will assist us in measuring both the likely regulatory impacts of the proposed changes and the likely costs of implementing them.
This evidence will be invaluable to helping make a robust assessment on whether the benefits to consumers are proportionate to the costs involved," he said.
The head of trade group Bacta, which represents adult gaming centres and other machine operators in the UK, warned about the potential costs of needing to retrofit existing products in the market.
Bacta welcomes the opportunity to engage with the Gambling Commission, said John Bollom, the groups president, but added: We believe any changes to regulation need to be proportionate.
Imposing additional and unnecessary costs on already struggling adult gaming centres and clubs would be unacceptable, he said.
