Gambling and technology industries experts are meeting on February 11th and 12th in an attempt to make progress on creating a sole industry-wide solution that would help British regulators to reduce gambling-related harm, especially in cases when customers own multiple online gambling accounts.
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is hosting a Birmingham-based event where the attendees are discussing the challenges related to the task of achieving the so-called “single customer view”. The event is being attended by more than 100 market experts.
The most-recently created regulator, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), has also supported the initiative, and representatives from the Information Commissioners Office are also being present at the event that is aimed at raising awareness of individual rights and discussing privacy-related issues.
The chief executive officer of the UKGC, Neil McArthur, has explained that making the industry safe for all customers was challenging, especially at a time when gambling companies only had a partial view of the customer’s behaviour. Mr McArthur noted that the major gambling regulatory body of the UK finds it important to bring together experts not only from the gambling sector but from other industries as well, in order to discuss how technology could create the above-mentioned “single-customer view” that is believed to be able to significantly improve customer protection.
UKGC Gives Evidence to Select Committee’s Investigation in Gambling’s Social and Economic Impact
Using technology to make a single view of consumer activity is one of the many actions the gambling watchdog is considering to roll out as part of its efforts to make gambling safer. Mr McArthur has shared that he is willing to see what could possibly be done in that direction.
Currently, the UK Gambling Commission is pushing the industry to make more efforts and raise standards and to reduce harm in various areas, including advertising strategies and technology, VIP customers’ bonuses and incentives, ethical game design, etc. The UK gambling regulator has already set strict deadlines for operators and experts to see some progress on the aforementioned issues by the end of March 2020.
Yesterday, Mr McArthur and the UKGC Chairman Dr Bill Moyes appeared at a hearing of the House of Lords Select Committee to give evidence as part of the Committee’s investigation in the social and economic impact that the local gambling industry has on the country. The two UKGC officials provided more details about the industry challenges and the social factors associated with the regulation of the sector in the conditions of intensified political and media scrutiny.
The UKGC CEO team has remained consistent in its actions to stick to the regime of strict regulation of the UK gambling sector in order to prevent gambling harm, stop crime and to make sure that gambling operations in the country are conducted in a safe and transparent manner.
- Author
Daniel Williams
