Gambling Laws At UK Slots Casinos

Gambling laws are constantly changing to stay relevant to the ever-changing times. This includes new developments in the gambling industry itself along with changing attitudes within society. What was relevant gambling law wise in the 1980s would not be fit for purpose in this new digital age. The one thing that does remain constant is that you have to be 18 years of age or over to gamble in the UK, whether it is at a land-based gambling establishment such as a betting shop or casino, or at an online establishment.  With online slots casinos, age verification is completed by the use of bank details, home address, mobile phone numbers and sometimes ID such as passports and driving license photo ID cards. 

The Need For Updated Laws 

Since 1996 and the introduction of online gambling, there has been a huge uptake in the amount of people gambling. The obvious reason for this is that online gambling is far easier to participate in than traditional gambling. You could literally join an online slots casino in five minutes and be playing slots with real cash straight away. This ease of use in the comfort of your own home or on the go, courtesy of mobile gaming, has created an explosion of gambling within the UK. This is echoed by figures that show slots gambling created £2billion in revenue last year and 39% of players were female. The Blair government also helped boost the numbers of gamblers by relaxing many laws and bringing gambling out of the shadows and into the mainstream. Obviously, the popularity of gambling has come at a price and this has caused concern within society. 

With so many online casinos operating during the boom in virtual gambling, many casinos and punters began to fall out over rules and regulations that were created by casinos to prevent punters from accessing their winnings. This led to the creation of the UK Gambling Commission and it made all online casinos sing from the same hymn sheet, when it came to casino laws and practices. However, it wasn’t just dishonest practices by online casinos that was of concern another major worry, was the increase in gambling addiction. 

A Time Of Change 

Recently politicians and pressure groups have seen fit to react to an increase in gambling addiction that has gripped the UK. Stories of individuals losing control have become headline news. The government recently felt the pressure to act and lowered the maximum bet stake on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals from £200 to £2. This came into affect in October 2019. Hot on the heels of this was the recent announcement that gambling with credit cards would be outlawed from April 2020. 

What Does The Future Hold? 

With the popularity of slots casinos showing no sign of fading, it is only a matter of time before certain other laws will be introduced. The most obvious one will most likely be the lowering of max bets on online slots machines.