SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has reminded licensed operators and stakeholders to submit feedback on its consultation related to newly issued guidance on remote customer interactions.
The Commission launched the consultation on 22 November, seeking feedback on new customer care interactions imposed on remote operators – the majority of which came into force in September 2022.
Originally announced in April 2022, new customer care interactions have been applied to the UK gambling’s Social Responsibility Code Provision (SR Code).
UK operators have been required to adopt 14 new measures to help identify customers at risk of harm and to take direct action to reduce customers confronting harms.
Remote operators have been required to monitor and record-keep specific indicators of gambling harms on individual players.
Further measures require operators to “flag indicators and take action in a timely manner” and to “prevent marketing and the take-up of new bonuses for at-risk customers”
New rules underscore that operators must “evaluate their interactions and ensure they interact with consumers at least at the level of problem gambling for the relevant activity”.
The Commission expects the full measures of the SR Code to be applied by 12 February 2023 – having granted licensed operators a longer implementation period to implement technical changes and customer care adjustments.
Aware of the demands of implementing SR Code changes, the UKGC has made available consultation on the guidance until 23 January 2023.
“On this occasion, there is a specific opportunity to use the consultation exercise to explore recent experiences of stakeholders in the implementation of a set of new requirements and we hope that there will be examples of good practice to share during the consultation period,” read the Consultation’s statement.
“We are particularly interested to hear from stakeholders about examples of good practice in the implementation of the new requirements, based on any lessons learned since the new requirements were first published in April 2022.”
