The UK Government announced earlier today that, starting September, gamblers who are 24 or younger will have their stake limits capped at £2 per spin when it comes to online slots. As for those who are at least 25 years old, the bet limit will stand at £5. Operators will be given a six-week transition period in order to implement the latter and an additional six weeks to develop and adopt any technical solutions that will facilitate the implementation of the £2 limit. These caps mirror the stake ceilings that land-based gambling businesses in the UK must abide by.
According to the Government, online slots involve “large losses, long sessions, and binge play,” with the games being considered to be among the most harmful forms of gambling in terms of addictiveness. These factors result in a high risk of individuals being impacted by substantial gambling harm.
A focus was also placed on how evidence has shown that young adults, that is, those under 25, have an average problem gambling score that exceeds the scores of any other age group. Factors that can exacerbate gambling harm and risk, such as inexperience with money management, poor risk perception, and a fairly limited disposable income that are all associated with this age group, have also been taken into consideration. Another issue that the government addressed was that of the connection between young adults’ vulnerability to suicide and problem gambling.
The Government placed emphasis on how the change will serve as one of the many measures outlined in the White Paper that will bring the gambling industry in line with what is appropriate for the digital age. Other proposals included in the White Paper include financial risk checks, a statutory levy that is set to fund research, prevention, and treatment, and a variety of measures that will also help the land-based sector of the gambling industry.
Broad Reception of the New Limits
Early reception towards the change has been mixed, with Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) CEO Michael Dugher welcoming the decision but saying that the Government should not neglect to take into consideration how this change and the overall impact of the White Paper will affect the BGC’s member operators and their clients. Mr Dugher cautioned that failure to take a careful and balanced approach towards this matter would lead to gamblers switching to unsafe, unregulated casinos and that it is crucial to prevent this potential issue from arising.
Zoë Osmond, CEO of GambleAware, shared that GambleAware is in full support of the limits, however. She also stressed that the organisation’s research has confirmed that online slots have exacerbated gambling harm among young adults.
Other campaigners and organisations surrounding problem gambling have not been as positive regarding the change. On February 22nd, The Guardian reported on how the then not yet announced change would affect the industry and spoke with Labour MP Carolyn Harris, who said she approved of the £2 stake cap for under-25s. Yet, she also stated that the said limit needed to be implemented so that it would affect individuals of all age groups in order to properly address gambling harm and that in not doing so, “the government has sided with the industry.”
Co-Founder of Gambling with Lives Liz Ritchie also talked with The Guardian, and she, too, was disappointed with the decision and emphasised that as opposed to gambling companies’ profit margins, the true harm of the situation affects the millions suffering from problem gambling. In addition, during an airing of the BBC Radio 4 Today programme earlier today, she described the measure as “the beginnings of a welcome step” but also said that “there’s a long way to go” and that despite industry sentiments, everyone in the UK is at risk of falling victim to gambling harm.
- Author
Daniel Williams
