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Safer Gambling: UK Govt Shows its Cards on the Trajectory of Gambling Reform for Digital Age

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The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has recently presented a white paper to Parliament, outlining the ill-equipped and outdated standards for protecting vulnerable players, and how they have failed to adapt to the digitalised age of gambling. There seems to be a disconnect between the technological advancements of gambling itself, and the technological advancements intended to protect its players.

According to the paper, there are an estimated 3,000,000 people in Great Britain who struggle with “problem gambling” – defined as “a degree which compromises, disrupts or damages family, personal or recreational pursuits”. The impact of problematic gambling can destroy lives and, given the impact of the current economic crisis on the lives of so many, it is imperative that the industry is supported to take on board the new approaches to gambling protocol as put forward by the white paper.

Despite the technological advancements within the industry making gambling accessible online, there is still a demand for land-based gambling enterprises such as casinos, betting shops and racecourses as they offer an authentic experience and atmosphere. Such a vivacious atmosphere cannot be emulated online which is indicative that land-based gambling sites will always be popular among players, whether regular or first-timers.

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The white paper acknowledges that these are subject to outdated regulations, and looks to bring these in line with the proposed changes to the online gambling reformations. These intend to enable better monitoring of land-based gambling, in the same way that controls can be placed online to help protect players wherever they play.

From betting shops to pubs with arcade machines, discover more about what the recent white paper recommends for implementing Player Protection protocols in the business and providing responsible restrictions for customers.

Player Protection

Gambling operators are responsible for identifying customers who are susceptible to harmful play and must act accordingly. However, the operators have not had to date the adequate tools or assistance in performing checks on every person that enters their premises. Technology can be utilised to aid operators in this challenging but necessary task in protecting their players.

Biometric technology can help the operator in three core tasks

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1) Age Estimation to prevent underage gambling

2) Player Tracking to limit daily spend or excessive losses

3) Identifying Self-Excluded Players

Underage Gambling

In the UK, most forms of gambling are illegal for those under 18s, and the government has the intention of strengthening this further by enacting legislation to ensure consistency. Gambling organisations are obliged to have stringent procedures in place to prevent underage gambling.

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Recent figures released by Serve Legal reveal a vast rise in the number of bookies preventing young people from entering their shops. Instances of betting shops carrying out spot checks on underage players have increased from 67% to 91% over the last ten years. This is a promising statistic, and concrete evidence that the new infrastructure put in place to protect players is working.

“However, there are still too many instances of insufficient age verification in some venues, particularly those such as pubs, which can offer adult-only gaming machines but are not adult-only venues like many gambling premises.” – UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2023.

To further help reduce access to premises, ICU Pro can detect if an underage person is entering the premises and send an alert to the operator. A MyCheckr can be placed at the counter to aid the till operator in estimating the age of the customer and also reduce risk of abuse in asking for ID. Analytic and appropriate advertisements is also an attractive feature of the MyCheckr and can be used both as a return on investment and a valuable tool to extract the demographics of the customer base.

Biometric technology can be also used to automate age checks at a machine. ICU Lite, for example, is a compact age estimation device that can be seamlessly integrated into existing software and machines to help businesses comply with adherence to age restrictions. Through more stringent and consistent checks it can help prevent play from vulnerable persons who are underage from accessing the machine.

This new technology gives the operator 3 touchpoints where underage gambling can be prevented, 1) at entry to the premises 2) at the counter 3) at the gaming machine itself.

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Player Tracking

Under the Gambling Act 2005, the Gambling Commission was established to regulate the industry and ensure responsible gambling among both individuals and businesses involved in gambling in Great Britain. In their review, the Department of Culture and Sport worked with the Gambling Commission to develop a two-form financial check preventative procedure.

The first will be background checks for moderate levels of spend, to check for indicators of financial vulnerability such as County Court Judgements, and should occur at £125 net loss within a month or £500 within a year. The next check is for higher levels of spending, suggestive of a harmful gambling binge or irrecoverable financial losses as a result of gambling, proposed at a threshold of £1000 net loss within 24 hours or £2000 within 90 days.

Biometric technology can again help operators in this vital task. An ICU Lite can be placed in every machine. Once a player accesses the machine, their age is initially checked. If the person is overage, then their face can be converted into a FaceID. This FaceID can be anonymously linked to the session and shared with all connected machines. Information such as daily spend and losses can then be linked to this FaceID and any necessary interventions can be easily alerted to the operator.

Additionally, the FaceID of a person can be used to set tailored restrictions and can be uploaded to the operators’ database with the agreed restrictions. For each session, the FaceID can ensure that the player will adhere to playing with the restrictions they have set. The FaceID can be automatically deleted after 24 hours and as such no data is stored permanently on the device.

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Self-Exclusion

The Betting and Gaming Council enforces that anyone concerned about their gambling habits can exclude themselves from on-premises gambling facilities. Self-exclusion has the potential to help those suffering from gambling addictions to have more control over their lives and build a healthier relationship with gambling.

If a player has self-excluded, the device with facial recognition technology will store that player’s information as FaceID. If the player attempts to play again, the device will detect a match on the system for an attempt of play by a person who is self-excluding and alert the operator. This intervention can occur at multiple touchpoints, such as access to the premises, at the counter or at the machine itself.

Bolstering the Gambling Commission

The white paper also discusses the powers and resources given to the Gambling Commission. The paper acknowledges the difficult feat that the Commission is faced with; in an ever-evolving industry that has long been subject to outdated regulations, there is a lot of work to be done.

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The Department for Culture, Media and Sport envisions a future where the Commission has greater powers as regulators of the industry and supports the Commission in gaining cooperation from operators to share data to help identify non-compliance to licence conditions.

This is made even more prevalent as the Commission has recently issued its largest fine in history. A British online gambling company was recently fined £19.2m for widespread social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures, a record-breaking figure in the UK. The organisation had previously been fined £6.2m in 2018 for the same reasons, illustrating a repeatedly negligent pattern.

Protecting vulnerable players is a vital but complex task. Operators need the right support and tools to maintain and advance player protection as technology develops. Biometric technology will play a key role in implementing these key reforms designed to improve player protection.

The future for gambling certainly looks like one of change for the better. The restrictions are there not to impede the recreational joy of gambling, but to protect those most vulnerable to addiction. As stated by MP Lucy Frazer, who penned the ministerial foreword of the white paper, “prevention of harm will always be better than a cure, so we are determined to strengthen consumer protection and prevent exploitative practices”.

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Growe Partners Named Best Affiliate Program. Once Again.

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Growe Partners, an affiliate program, which has skyrocketed its performance in the iGaming industry in just a year, has received yet another recognition as the Best Affiliate Program at the SiGMA Europe Awards 2024. 

The ceremony took place in Valletta, Malta on Nov, 12th, and the victory was achieved through a combination of public votes on the award page and evaluations by a distinguished jury panel.

In just a year Growe Partners has rightfully reserved a place amongst industry leaders, who have been in the game for a lot longer, and as they say themselves — they are not going anywhere. Today Growe Partners is a network with over 32 thousand partners, operating in more than 10 locations worldwide.

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“This achievement reflects our commitment to investing in our people, our partners, our ideas, and continuously implementing new innovative approaches. We are proud of the strong team we have built, which is always on the lookout for ways to develop and better themselves. And whose dedication resulted in this victory.

With winning this award we would like to once again emphasize that everything is possible in our industry if you set the right goal and work hard for it.” , — commented Dima Mariievskyi, Head of Growe Partners.

 

The post Growe Partners Named Best Affiliate Program. Once Again. appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Jackpot.com Launches in Colorado Providing Consumers Mobile Lottery Access Across the Centennial State

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Today, Jackpot.com, the online platform and app that allows individuals to safely and securely order official state lottery tickets and scratchers from their mobile phone and other devices, announced its launch in Colorado. On the heels of the Colorado Lottery’s 40th anniversary last year, the Centennial State will feature both draw games and Scratchers (digital scratch off games).

With Jackpot.com, Colorado players can instantly buy tickets for nationwide games such as Mega Millions and Powerball, as well as their favorite state lottery games, including Cash 5, Pick 3, Lucky 4 Life, and more. The innovative platform purchases tickets on behalf of its customers from an official state lottery retailer, displaying a scan of their ticket and transferring winnings under $600 in real-time to their account. For prizes greater than $600, Jackpot.com securely delivers the ticket to the winning player so they can collect the winnings from the Colorado Lottery.

“At Jackpot.com, we remain committed to growing the safe and secure access to the lottery across the country and we could not be more excited to add Colorado as our seventh state,” said Jackpot.com CEO and co-founder, Akshay Khanna. “Last year, the Colorado Lottery reached $4 billion in proceeds and they give back millions of dollars each year to state parks, schools, and various projects. They’re also notably invested in responsible gaming, which has been a staple at Jackpot.com since its inception. We can’t wait to become part of the Colorado community and provide an accessible and reliable lottery experience for players.”

Not only will Colorado residents have access to their favorite state lottery games, they’ll also have access to Scratchers – the digital scratch ticket offering focused on expediting the convenience and the processing times of scratch-off games. Jackpot.com will launch with five of the most popular scratchers in Colorado, including $3,000,000 Supreme, Casino Ca$h Chips, $250,000 ORO, and more. Customers simply have to “scratch” their device screen with their finger or mouse to reveal their scanned ticket and potential winnings. Jackpot.com delivers the industry’s fastest online lottery scratch card experience after undergoing a comprehensive business process review by Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), which ensures its method for ordering and processing lottery scratch tickets is accurate and functions as expected for both Jackpot.com and the player.

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This year marks the Colorado Lottery’s fourth consecutive year generating a new sales record, amassing over $900 million in revenue. This year’s success translates to more than $196 million in funds allocated to beneficiaries throughout the state. Since its first ticket sale in 1983, the Lottery has allocated over $4.2 billion to good causes across the state.

Jackpot.com has continued to raise the bar for responsible gaming through the integration of modern conveniences and safety guardrails, one of the key distinctive features of digital lottery platforms. The company has significantly invested in responsible gaming protections by allowing customers to set spend limits, setting default limits on daily deposits, providing access to local and national responsible gambling resources, self-exclusion, self-suspension and automated notifications that offer help should problematic behavior be detected. Jackpot.com is the only lottery courier service to launch with iCap certification from the National Council on Problem Gambling.

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All British Casino Joins Forces With WST For UK Championship

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All British Casino has become a partner of one of snooker’s greatest tournaments, the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship, for the first time.

WST is delighted to announce this new partnership ahead of the 2024 Victorian Plumbing UK Championship which will run from November 23rd to December 1st in York.

It is part of the sport’s Triple Crown Series alongside the Masters and the World Championship. The UK Championship was first staged in 1977 and many of the all-time greats have their name on the trophy.

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Ronnie O’Sullivan won the title for an eighth time last year, beating Ding Junhui in the final. A stellar field of snooker’s biggest stars is once again expected at the superb York Barbican venue for the event which is televised by BBC, Eurosport and many other broadcasters worldwide.

WST’s Chief Commercial Officer Peter Wright said: “We welcome All British Casino on board for the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship and we look forward to working with them on this outstanding event. Our sport is growing worldwide and this tournament will reach a vast global audience.”

Jan Wienk from All British Casino said: “We are excited to connect with snooker for the first time as we know it is a globally successful and rapidly developing sport, which matches our ambitions as a brand. The UK Championship has an incredible history and tradition, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with this event which brings so much entertainment to people worldwide. We look forward to seeing the incredible skills of the players as they compete for the trophy.”

The qualifying rounds of the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship run from November 16th to 21st, with the 16 qualifiers to join the top 16 seeds in York.

The post All British Casino Joins Forces With WST For UK Championship appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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