SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
New changes to the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) were published this week by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). These changes are set to come into effect on August 1 2014, and will relate to anti-money laundering and widening the scope for detecting suspicious betting patterns which may relate to match fixing.
The changes that are set to be implemented by the UKGC are set to bring greater transparency to operators and customers regarding the protection of customer funds, improved visibility of licensed operator statuses on websites, greater information available to customers on payment processing functions and easier access to customer protections mechanisms (player self- exclusion).
For new operators wanting to enter the UK igaming market, the UKGC stated that it would be toughening up its conditions for granting licenses. Led by Gambling Commissioner Rachel Lampard, igaming operators would have to undergo tougher licence conditions with regards to technical standards, customer services, operator compliance and further implementations of safety and best practices. The UKGC stated that Rachel Lampard, would review the conditions and the necessary changes to licenses needed for igaming operators.
New LCCP conditions would be released in stages, in order to give operators time to make the necessary adjustments in order to comply, the UKGC aims to make sure all operators applying for licences are clear with what is required of them from the outset.
Operators will also have to comply with new policies regarding player protection and self exclusion on online verticals. The UKGC will additionally provide local councils with better information regarding problem gambling and its prevention.
The UKGC have further added that it is willing to work with the UK Advertising Standards Authority on marketing and communication of free bets and bonuses to players.
Related to the work on LCCP, the Commission will release information on the testing strategy for compliance with its remote gambling and software technical standards in April. This will include, for example, changes to allow for the transition of games currently offered in the British market by those presently licensed overseas. Also, in parallel with the LCCP changes we will be consulting on an updated and slightly expanded edition of our Statement of Principles which sets the framework within which the Commission works.
