Gambling Commission Sets Out Business Plan for 2019 – 2020

By Simon Wright, Last updated Apr 24, 2019

The United Kingdom Gambling Commission have released their business plan for the year 2019 – 2020, which forms part of their strategy defined for the period 2018 – 2021. For those of you that would like a leisurely read in full at your own pleasure, the UKGC Business Plan can be viewed here.

Below I will attempt to cover the key points which may be of interest and concern to players, affiliates and operators in the UK iGaming space.

In an opening by the Chief Executive of the UKGC Neil McArthur, it is quite clear that the remit of the UKGC is to protect the consumer, minors and the also the vulnerable in society from being exploited or harmed by gambling.

To this extent and also outlined in their three year strategy plan, the UKGC as outlined by McArthur will:  “Ensure operators intervene and protect those who are experiencing harm, or are at risk of developing problems with their gambling. They will continue to work hard to keep out and remove operators and individual personal management licence holders who are unsuitable to operate under their licences.”

As part of this strategy there is the much publicised aim to remove the use of credit cards as a means of funding a consumers gambling in an online environment. With the UKGC promising to publish their priority actions and feedback following their call for evidence on the use of credit cards for online gambling.

This is a good thing and it is very likely that in the very near future, the use of credit cards at licensed UKGC operators will no longer be allowed. Whilst it is likely to be a pain to a small minority who utilise and manage their gambling with the use of credit cards. It is apparent however, that many can and do get consumed by unmanageable debt as a result of  using credit cards to fund their various online accounts with operators.

Another area  that has recently been well documented and publicised is the UKGC’s continual work with the Advertising Standards Authority. Only recently we here at Casinomeister covered the story whereby the ASA found five iGaming firms in breach of their code of conduct.

Certainly  one can expect that the UKGC to work more closely with the ASA and also the ICO in the months ahead. No doubt, this will have further ramifications for iGaming operators and also their affiliate marketing partners.

Other key areas that the Gambling Commission will focus on during the next twelve months include raising standards throughout the industry. This includes the implementing of changes to the Licencing Conditions and Codes of Practice to raise operator standards in identifying and addressing gambling related harms.

All in all the eleven page business plan ( inclusive of covers ) published by the UKGC contains common sense actions. No doubt it will cause a bit of pain to operators, but it is clear the consumer is at the forefront of their mind.

What would be especially good though, is that the UKGC perhaps look at some of the operators they have awarded licenses to a bit more closely. As based on some threads on the forum here at Casinomeister that have appeared, there are one or two operators that require a closer look, with regards their setup and business links…..

Simon Wright

Simon Wright has been both a player and an observer of the online casino industry for over 15 years. His knowledge of the online casino industry – to include sports is massive. Not many folks have the experience or his knowledge about online gambling. His adoration of football is also noted. He has painted his house blue (Chelsea) and annoys his neighbors with local football songs on game days.


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