UKGC Advocates Unified Approach To ‘Make Gambling Safer’

Gambling Commission CEO, Neil McArthur, has called on the country’s industry to “work together and know their customers better” in order to make gambling in Great Britain the “fairest and safest in the world”.

“I want consumers in Britain to be able to enjoy the fairest and safest gambling in the world… and to achieve my aims I need your support: I need you to work together to make sure you are the best - the fairest, safest - gambling operators in the world”, Mr. McArthur said.

‘A Race To The Top’

A bold statement, given that the latest developments shattered the sector to the core. From the new legislation that will see a 21% rise in the UK remote gambling tax in 2019 to the resignation of the country’s Minister of Sport and Gibraltar crisis, the UK has done everything in its power to antagonize gambling.

So, what did Mr. McArthur exactly imply?

“This is a call to action to join the race to the top. A race to put your customers, their enjoyment and their safety at the top of the agenda for your management meetings, your board meetings and meetings with your investors. A race to approach the minimum requirements we impose as exactly that: minimums not maximums. A race to look for real solutions to the public health issue of gambling-related harm”, Mr. McArthur explained.

The plea was voiced on Thursday, during the regulator’s Raising Standards Conference at the International Conference Centre in Birmingham, which is attended by 170 leaders from more than 100 gambling businesses and encourages senior members to actively participate in boosting fairness and safety.

The conference was attended, among others, by representatives from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the Competition and Markets Authority, and Twitter UK, as well as by Jeremy Wright, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Winning back customers’ trust was among the chief concerns addressed, with the newly introduced consumer protection rules in focus.

“The existing rules that regulate the content and targeting of gambling advertising are working effectively, but there is public concern about the timing and quantity. Today’s Gambling Commission conference is a great opportunity for gambling firms to discuss how those concerns might be addressed”, said ASA chief executive, Guy Parker.

CMA senior director for consumer protection, George Lusty, said that achieving compliance was a way off.

“We’ve seen gambling operators making changes to promotions and withdrawal practices, and this is a great start, but it’s only one aspect of achieving compliance and clearly much more needs to be done by the sector to win back customer trust. The best operators going forward will be those who lead by example, those who build on the work we’ve done and treat their consumers fairly and responsibly”, Lusty explained.

Managing director for Twitter UK, Dara Nasr, was optimistic about finding ways to protect the customers.

“Twitter recognizes the importance of innovation, knowing your customer and acting accordingly to ensure they are treated fairly, and I believe such a stance will serve the other industries well too. I think today’s event is a great way for key players in the gambling industry to come together to find new ways to safeguard their customers which will benefit both their businesses and the industry as a whole”, Nasr concluded.

Mr. McArthur's speech at the Raising Standards Conference is available in full via the regulator’s official webpage.

Source:

“Collaborate and Know Your Customers to Make Gambling Safer – Gambling Commission CEO to Leaders of Britain's Gambling Industry”, gamblingcommission.gov.uk, November 8th, 2018.