The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has posted its latest position paper focused on in-play betting, which is also known as live or in-running betting, and updates to the paper published by the regulatory body in March 2009. This betting activity usually takes place on sporting events and is considered as mainly an online activity. In addition, in-play betting becomes increasingly popular among players worldwide and this niche of the gambling markets has been rapidly expanding lately.
According to the information revealed in the paper, the watchdog’s position has been considered by taking into account the potential risks that in-play betting could pose to the three licensing objectives that have been set out by the Gambling Act in 2005.
The Commission also shared its position to reflect recent market changes amid latest technological innovations have been thoroughly reviewed. The paper is set to make clear the fact that the Commission does not find it necessary to make alterations to the current regulatory rules that allow such type of betting.
Currently, in-play betting is banned under the legislation of some countries due to potential risks of problem gambling behaviour. The UK Gambling Commission, however, does not agree that such risks would make in-play betting more risky than some other forms of sports betting or gambling in general. On the contrary, it has put risk management efficiency as a paramount priority in order to better control any additional risks that may occur.
Still, the regulatory watchdog said in the paper that in-play betting raises some issues that could influence on the licensing objectives and are related to three key points. The first one is the fairness and transparency of in-play betting. The other two involve its integrity, as well as the risks of eventual harms within the betting process.
The UK Gambling Commission shared its opinion that in-play betting activities do not seem to cause unacceptable risks when it comes to fairness and transparency, especially when compared to other betting and gambling activities.
When it comes to the integrity of the betting process, the UKGC found that in-play betting could be used by some individuals for criminal or other inappropriate purposes. This, however is not believed to bring much larger risks in comparison to other gambling activities.
In conclusion, the UK Gambling Commission said that to date all the risks to the licensing objectives brought by in-play betting activities are handled in an appropriate manner by the regulatory authorities in the country.
- Author
Daniel Williams
