Player Protection in Online Gambling: Gamers Feeling Safe in the UK

Many people look at gambling like it is a fun, easy, and exciting way to spend their vacant hours, which they are completely right about. Moreover, with this hobby – and with a lot of luck – sometimes they can even make a little extra money. The problem comes into the picture when someone misuses any type of gambling. These someones are the reason why player protection in online gambling is becoming a top priority of operators, commissions, and councils all over the world.

Why player protection in online gambling is important

The Betting & Gaming Council’s eyes are always turning in the direction of online gambling sites in the UK, like Bwin Casino. Their main goal is “protecting and empowering customers”. According to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport the problem of gambling is relatively low – it is around 0.5 percent – in the country. It has also not increased in the last two decades, but it is still important not to set it aside. We can always hear news about unaware people gambling away their fortune on online gambling sites, and underage gambling is also a common thing in the United Kingdom. So, as Wes Himnes – Executive Director of Standards and Innovation at the Betting and Gaming Council – said: “New technologies offer the opportunity to develop world-class player protections across our industry.”

Introduction to player protection in online gambling

There are quite a few ways to make gambling safer for those who love to play on online gambling sites in the UK, like Bwin Casino. But many solutions need wider cooperation including gamers, operators, and legislation as well. One of the ways is self-exclusion. This basically covers those methods that let players exclude themselves – with a technique provided by operators – from specific premises. They can do it anytime they feel like they are concerned about the amount of their gaming. Another form of protection puts more weight on the shoulders of operators and game developers. They need to come up with new forms of games that improve gamers’ safety and can tackle problem gambling more easily.

There are new rules on VIP schemes as well. They make it harder to sign up, and their gaming is closely monitored. Some new tools and technologies are helping in setting deposit limits. This way it is easier for gamblers to keep track of their actions. Another great thing concerns the machines themselves. The Betting and Gaming Council launched the Anonymus Player Awareness System, the APAS. It is a real-time algorithm that can detect alarming player behaviors and when noticed, it can send an alert on-screen. This is followed by a so-called cooling-off period or can force a break in the game.

Player protection in online gambling: What to expect in 2021?

In the United Kingdom for the last couple of years, there was one main target: changing in motivations. Probably this will be going on for the upcoming ones as well. We will probably see some strategies aiming to protect gamblers from losing control of their gaming behavior. In this sense, we can expect renovations in the VIP schemes – mentioned above. Online gambling sites in the UK, like Bwin Casino, will have to restrict VIP offerings and targeting gamblers with bigger bankrolls. This will limit customer loyalty-building, making excessive less of a concern.

The setting of a spending limit on each site is also a possibility this year. There will likely be changes in gambling sites’ advertising activities too. Since we can see their ads on TV, during football matches on players’ shirts, radios, magazines, billboards, and so on, more and more people – many of them underage – are exposed to them. We can foresee more transparency and more limitations concerning casino bonusing as well.

Some new rules are already here

The Gambling Commission – which is an executive non-departmental public body of the UK Government – has a great role in player protection in online gambling. This governmental department licenses and regulates all fields – both businesses and people – in connection with gambling. It is only the second month of the year, but they already issued some important player-protection changes. Their main focus so far was online slot machines. They banned four key features of these. The one that speeds the game up, giving the illusion of control over the results. The one spinning the slot faster than 2.5 seconds. The autoplay factor might result in losing track of the game. And also, the sounds and the imagery that give the illusion of winning – even if the return is equal or below a stake.

Besides developers, operators also have some things to alter. They need to clearly display the total losses and wins for gamblers, alongside the time they spent playing. Last, but not least, there is a permanent ban on reverse withdrawals for each type of online gambling.

Benefits of player protection in online gambling

Gamers, operators, and developers might not see any benefits from these, yet. It can be a temporary nuisance to deal with or get used to all the changes. But eventually, it is a good thing that all the participants in the gaming industry can feel safe and reliant on each other. Online gambling sites in the UK, like Bwin Casino and operators, can go on with their games and gamers after making the changes, serving the common good. Developers can come up with new, creative ideas that drive them from day to day. And of course, gamers can enjoy their hobbies with having less to worry about– since their favorite sites are already taking care of those.

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