SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has extended the deadline on its consultation regarding remote customer interaction.
Launched on 3 November, the consultation sought to gain a wide range of opinions from industry stakeholders on ‘stronger requirements for online operators to identify consumers who may be at risk of gambling harm, and the preventative actions they should take’.
A UKGC statement read: “With high engagement since the consultation opened last month, the Commission has extended the call for evidence deadline by four weeks to Tuesday 9 February.
“This extension will allow more time for detailed feedback and the strongest evidence base possible from consumers and other stakeholders.”
The proposed preventative actions will include improved affordability checks and actions for vulnerable consumers.
In addition, the consultation will review proposals that aim to ‘strengthen the expectations’ placed on operating an online gambling business, adding that operators need to prove their capacity to identify and register a consumer’s vulnerabilities.
Even though the consultation will hear opinions from a range of stakeholders, at the time of the launch the UKGC stated that there will be a particular focus on consumers. It added that it wants to fully understand how operators should identify vulnerability, as well as gambling that is unaffordable, and the circumstances when to take action on behalf of consumers.
