The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has invited gambling operators, industry stakeholders, customers and members of the public to share their opinion on the proposed amendments to regulatory rules related to gambling advertising and marketing, unfair terms and complaints. The regulator has rolled out a consultation on the above-mentioned proposed changes, since gambling advertising has become not only a matter of great interest, but also a controversial subject.
The major gambling regulatory body of the UK is seeking new prerogatives that would provide it with the right to impose fines on local bookmakers for breaches of advertising rules. The Commission is also focused on dealing with spam marketing issues in order to provide better protection to customers.
The proposed changes in the current regulatory framework come as part of a much wider strategy aimed at making the country’s industry, including regulatory authorities, operators, charity organisations, etc. work in collaboration in order for the necessary amendments to be delivered.
For the time being, it is the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) which is able to use certain sanctions to deal with gambling advertising rules breaches. However, the right of imposing financial punishments is not among the ASA’s prerogatives for the time being. This is exactly the reason why the UK Gambling Commission has made a proposal that it should be given more powers to deal with the operators that violate advertising codes, including the right to impose monetary sanctions to such companies.
UKGC Proposes Certain Gambling Advertising Measures
For some time now, gambling advertising has been described as a high-profile issue, especially considering the increasing number of football clubs which have entered in sponsorship deals with gambling operators. What is more, the constantly growing number of young people who are affected by gambling advertising has also been a related concern of the local regulatory body.
As the Commission itself explained, the proposed Licence conditions and codes of practice amendments are aimed at making sure that gambling providers that operate on the territory of the UK are treating customers in a fair and transparent manner. The changes that the UKGC wants to make also include a focus on compliance with the UK Advertising Codes that are set to make sure that gambling companies are in line with the customer protection legislation.
In addition, the UK gambling regulatory authority has proposed certain improvements to be made in the way customer complaints are handled, including the introduction of an eight-week period over which operators are to be expected to deal with gambling complaints. Gambling companies would also be required to boost customer protection and make information about their services easier to understand.
For the time being, the UK gambling sector is considered one of the top three sectors as far as the number of consumer complaints are concerned. Local customers often protest against the increasing number of spam text messages, which is another issue included in the UKGC consultation. Under the proposed changes, gambling operators would be required to make sure that no marketing e-communication messages are sent without an informed, specific and withdrawable consent of the recipient.
- Author
Olivia Cole
