The United Kingdom or the Great Britain is one of the most ancient gambling regions in the world. As the world continues to evolve over the time, technological advancement and the internet have been embraced. It is therefore difficult to avoid regulation of the online gaming/gambling. The United Kingdom made its first attempt to establish a self-sufficient regulatory body in the year 2005. Before the first attempt, the Gaming regulation mandate was under the Country’s Ministry of Sports and Culture. In line with the Gambling Act of 2005, the Gambling Commission was birthed. Its main role was to control any gambling in the Great Britain. The Commission was also put together to work with other authorities that were regulating the gaming industry at the time.
The commission was targeting the online gaming platform that had no regulating body at the time. The Gambling Commission took over full responsibility from the Ministry of Sports in October 2013. The National Lottery Commission gave the regulation mantle to UKGC (United Kingdom Gambling Commission). In 2014, the United Kingdom Gambling Commission abbreviated as UKGC penetrated the online gambling industry in the United Kingdom as the key regulator. Before, the incorporation into the online gambling industry, the UKGC was initially involved in the control and management of the offline gaming industry. The UK government imposed taxation on online platforms around the time for any income that was generated from the online games played in the country.
The United Gambling Commission had to decide which operators could carry out their business as well as adhering to legal standards along with setting up rules and regulations that would be required to obtain the UKGC license. To date, UKGC stands as the most respected authority based on their integrity, transparency and fair play work ethics.
For operators and gaming software to conduct any businesses in the UK, they have to adhere to strict professional standards. This makes the United Kingdom a fair playground for any gambling and gaming activities offered here. Player complaints are not handled by the Commission; any complaints are handled externally by the Alternative Dispute Resolution which the commission has approved.
Licenses issued by United Kingdom Gambling Commission
The United Kingdom Gambling Commission encompasses the entire online gambling activities hat take place in the United Kingdom. In case an operator requires any type of remote licensing to carry out gambling activities as well as advertise their services, they will need to apply for each particular type of the gambling activity. Some of the gambling activities that the commission regulates include:
- Online lotteries
- Online gaming software
- Machines and devices used in the gaming
- Online casino games and slots
- Sports betting
- Bingo – a common favorite in this part of the world.
If by any chance, the gaming company has top management staff members, the owner will be required to obtain a License for personal Management from the commission as well. The license entails that anybody responsible for budgeting for the company’s finances or ensures that the company adheres and complies with statutory laws; has to have the approval of the UKGC.
UKGC licensing procedure
The UK Gambling Commission controls all the undertakings of the gaming operators. The operators in turn offer platforms where players can engage in the gaming activities (activities are specific to different operators). Gaming operators may also be advertising the gaming/gambling packages in the United Kingdom. An operator is issued with License Conditions and Codes of Practice abbreviated as LCPP by the UK Gambling Commission. The license specifies the manner in which the gaming environment and how any operations that take place on this platform should be conducted. If operators chose to or fail in their compliance to the Conditions and Codes of practices dictated by the license, then the UK gambling commission comes in.
United Kingdom Gambling Commission’s Roles
As stated earlier, the main reason as to why the commission was created was to regulate the online gambling industry. Besides this, the commission also oversees the following:
- Ensure no criminal activities arise from gambling
- To provide a free, fair and uniform platform for all operators in the industry in the UK
- To offer protection to the minors and the vulnerable population that take part in the gambling
- To oversee that the gaming companies have clear channels of communication and feedback that are necessary for solving issues in case they arise
- Ensures each gambling operator has another account where funds from players are deposited
- Ensure that only people of age partake the gaming activities through a verification procedure put in place by the operator
- To oversee that the operator has mechanisms to deal with problematic gamblers
- To carry out investigations on gaming operators and expose those that do not use the required software or have tampered with the software that was given by the software providers
- To ensure that advertisements and any promotional content does not mislead players
- To enforce safe payment procedures thus nulling and detecting any possibilities pf money launder
Advantages of United Kingdom Gambling Commission
- The gambling rights of the minority and the vulnerable populations are taken care off
- Players can enjoy a safe and criminal free environment
- Zero chances of money laundering
- Money is refunded in case of any issues
Disadvantages of United Kingdom Gambling Commission
- Players will need to source for any legal advice and information from elsewhere UKGC will only give players an overview of what the Gambling act entails
- The Commission not involved in solving any complaints from players
The Bottom-line
Players that engage in licensed gambling activities in the United Kingdom can be rest assured that the activities are legit and free of fraudulence. The United Kingdom Gambling Commission ensures that all the operators and software providers are licensed after they adhere to strict regulations and standards as defined by the Gambling Commission. In case a player wants to launch a complaint against a particular operator, he/she can go to the Complaints Authority hence no discrimination. Gambling companies all over the world have been known to swindle money from players, the UKGC ensures players are paid and in case there are any discrepancies, the money is paid back to players.
