Members of Parliament have warned that online gambling operators that have circumvented new maximum betting stakes are taking advantage of vulnerable British gamblers. They claim that the country’s Government is failing to provide the necessary protection to the ones who are considered at risk and reminded that problem gambling is becoming a serious public health issue.
According to the Gambling Related Harm All-Party Parliamentary Group, there is absolutely no reason for online gambling operators to be allowed to offer slot machine-style games with betting stakes larger than £2.
Several months ago, the British Government finally implemented the new maximum betting stakes for fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs), slashing the stakes from £100 to £2. The new legislation and maximum bet rules, however, apply only for the retail sector, so online betting sites continued operating as they used to do before the changes.
Now, the above-mentioned parliamentary group published an interim report, in which it urged the Government to introduce legislation which is aimed at regulating the online gambling industry as quickly as possible. An inquiry which the group held into the country’s online gambling sector made it criticise the UK Gambling Commission’s lack of action that its members believe is necessary to address the high levels of harm that the industry causes to people.
Credit Card Use on Gambling Websites Should Also Be Forbidden
The measures which the all-party group insists to be unveiled also include a ban on credit card use on online gambling sites so that British gamblers are prevented from generating large debts.
The vice-chairman of the Gambling Related Harm All-Party Parliamentary Group, Iain Duncan Smith, has described the rising gambling addiction rates as growing to a public health crisis. He called for stronger powers to be given to the UK Gambling Commission, explaining that online gambling companies have been left to exploit vulnerable people for quite some time, and this needs to stop as soon as possible.
Mr Smith also urged the Commission, which is currently the main gambling regulatory body of the British gambling industry, to take the issue into consideration in greater depth. According to him, stake limits need to be imposed on online gambling services, not to mention that further restrictions on the use of credit cards are needed. He also insisted that the inducements used by online gambling operators also need to be restricted to protect British customers.
The last few years have seen rising problem gambling rates across the country. Currently, there are about 430,000 gambling addicts in the UK, including 55,000 children. A further number of people is considered to be at risk of becoming problem gamblers. According to recent data, the gambling “epidemic” costs local taxpayers up to £1.2 billion on an annual basis.
The all-party parliamentary group also urged the competent authorities to make sure that gambling addicts get adequate treatment for their problem gambling behaviour. It called for the gambling companies to make their terms and conditions simpler so that customers are able to better understand them. More responsible gambling advertising regime is also necessary, according to the campaigners.
- Author
Daniel Williams
