Sports are changing, and so is sports betting services. The gambling industry has never offered more convenient and easily accessible offering that punters can reach not only in brick-and-mortar betting shops but online, too.
Lately, UK gambling legislation is also changing so that it addresses the needs of local punters. However, the recent changes to UK gambling laws also mean tighter regulation and control on the sector, which may make it harder for some customers to participate in sports betting in future. Most changes regarding sports betting are associated with stricter age and ID verifications to make sure that underage and vulnerable individuals are not offered access to services they are not supposed to reach.
Experts also say that recent changes in the UK gambling legislative and regulatory framework have affected football, which remains the most popular sport that local people prefer to bet on.
New Rules Bring Stringent ID and Age Verification Checks for Punters
Sports betting is a gambling activity that is currently monitored and controlled by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). The major gambling regulatory body is regularly checking its regulations in order to guarantee that players receive safe and responsible gambling services.
In May 2019, the watchdog made a decision to impose stricter age checks regulation to protect customers who are willing to bet online in the country. The move was aimed particularly at children who tend to become more involved with sports betting operations over the past few years and, respectively, are affected by problem gambling.
In any case, any changes that are made in gambling and sports betting regulation across the country would affect all punters in the country. British people who want to place their bets on a certain sports event would now have to confirm their ID and age every time they sign up or log in an online gambling or sports betting site. The aforementioned checks, on the other hand, mean that bettors would be forced to provide specific documents in order to prove they are eligible to use the services of the betting website.
When it comes to regulation changes, the tighter control on the sector and the stricter laws may have a significant effect on the gambling participation rates. According to some experts, the recent changes may lead to fewer people register online than before. On the other hand, this could mean that only ID and age-verified accounts would be given the chance to use the services of online sports betting operators.
This could mean that more people would turn to land-based betting shops – a move that could bring serious changes to the industry, as the last few years have seen fewer people prefer betting at physical locations and more punters get oriented to placing sports bets online. Now, stricter regulation of the digital sports betting sector could turn things around.
Sports Betting Lovers to Be Better Protected Thanks to the New Regulations
At first glance, it may seem that only new customers of British sports betting operators would be affected by above-mentioned changes. This is not true, because people who already bet will also have to provide the necessary documents. In other words, the ones who already have an account will still have to confirm their ID and age in order to be permitted to continue using sports betting operators’ services.
An important part of the changes is the 72-hour deadline in which anyone who registers at a gambling and sports betting website would have to confirm their ID and verify their age. If they fail to do so, their account will be blocked until the necessary verification is done. The system is supposed to be doing a great job to prevent underage individuals or people who have previously banned themselves from gambling get access to the offerings of the sports betting and gambling website.
Some operators have already raised their voices against the new rules in the sector. Come of the companies explained that not everyone has the opportunity to quickly access the specific documents that are needed for the ID and age checks. This could mean such users are forced to wait longer before they are able to use the operator’s services, and this could become a reason for them to quit from a certain website.
In any case, the regulators and competent authorities plan to stick to the stricter regulation of the market, as they have imposed the new rules as part of their efforts to make the sector more transparent and risk-free for customers. The UK Gambling Commission is constantly investing efforts into preventing gambling-related harm and minimising the detrimental impact on local people. That is exactly the reason why new age and residence verification, as well as so-called source-of-fund checks, are to be held.
These changes should not be much of an issue for most British punters. In fact, they are to make sure local betting lovers are better protected against the harm they could suffer in case they are unfortunate to place wagers with a shady gambling company or simply find it difficult to control their gambling.
- Author
Olivia Cole
