A gambling company based on the Isle of Man commented on the recently announced decision of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) to no longer allow customers to use credit cards to place bets.
The island company, which is currently heavily involved in the online gambling sector, shared its position after information that the British gambling watchdog intends to stick to its tough enforcement actions, with the credit card ban in gambling set to be officially unveiled on April 14th.
The move, which is to affect all forms of gambling except lotteries where payments are made face to face, has been welcomed by campaigners. As Casino Guardian has already reported, the UKGC decision is to affect both offline and online gambling and will be only the first step of a set of stricter measures to control the industry.
A representative of the online gambling compliance unit of SMP Group, an international corporate, trust and professional services operator, shared that the step taken by the UKGC was fully understandable, considering the increasing negative impact that gambling is having on people and local communities. The newly-revealed measure has come as part of the efforts of the UK gambling regulator to protect consumers.
According to the senior regulatory compliance officer Tom Collister, the crackdown was undoubtedly the right thing to be done, as the use of credit cards for gambling had been having a little benefit to consumers.
PokerStars Also Approves of the Stricter Regulation of the Gambling Industry
The global online gambling operator PokerStars that is also Isle of Man-based approved the stricter regulation. As a spokesperson of The Stars Group, its parent company, shared, the UK-facing brands of the gambling giant – PokerStars and Sky Betting & Gaming – will fully comply to the new rules and will implement the ban on credit cards use by the deadline in April 2020 to make sure their customers are well protected. The British customers of the two brands will be able to use alternative payment methods.
The company’s spokesman said that The Stars Group remains devoted to safer gambling and better player protection and intends to continue its collaboration with all relevant stakeholders in order to make sure that the best gambling environment is provided to its customers. The operator further noted that it welcomes the new requirements sets by the UKGC, including not only the ban on credit cards use but also the requirements for all licensed gambling companies to join the nation-wide self-exclusion scheme GAMSTOP.
Last week, the main regulatory body of the UK gambling sector announced that all online gambling companies would have to take part in GAMSTOP in order to make sure they do not target any customers who have previously excluded themselves from gambling. The recently-unveiled requirement is also aimed at making self-exclusion easier for local people who have been struggling to deal with their compulsive gambling behaviour.
- Author
Olivia Cole
