UKGC Launches Survey on How Gambling Companies Interact with Customers

The gambling regulator in the UK launched a new survey on how gambling companies interact with their customers. With the help of the survey, the UKGC aims at finding the right balance between customer protection, freedom and privacy.

UK Gambling Regulator Launches a New Survey

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has announced that it launched a survey on how gambling companies interact with their customers. Regulating most gambling businesses in Britain, the Commission explained that gambling operators have information about their customers which is necessary for verifying identification.

This data helps the gambling businesses identify that the players are 18 years or older and it also follows the anti-money laundering rules and regulations. Furthermore, the gambling operators are also required to identify potential signs of gambling harm in cases such as players chasing losses or players spending more than what they can afford.

In its statement, the UKGC said that based on evidence, it identified that a “proportion of online gambling customers” are spending more than what they can afford or are experiencing financial difficulties. Furthermore, the Commission acknowledged that sometimes operators are “too slow to act to protect customers”.

The Consultation Will Run through February 9, 2021

Based on collected evidence, the UKGC found that some customers spent significant amounts of money over a short period, while others use money which is usually used for day-to-day expenses to gamble. The Commission stressed that either of those cases can have devastating impacts on the customers.

“Essentially, we want to gather views on what is the right balance between consumer protections and consumer freedom and privacy,”

reads a statement by the UKGC

Consequently, the UKGC launched the consultation which aims to “strengthening our requirements on gambling businesses“. With the help of the consultation, the Commission would be able to determine what operators can do in addition to minimize potential gambling harm and at the same time retain customer freedom.

The UKGC added that the survey presents an opportunity for people to share their views. People who would want to participate in the survey will have until February 9, 2021 to complete it.