Licenses mean everything in the world of online gambling. Various governing bodies issue licenses to interested parties and the UKGC is widely considered the best among them. Short for United Kingdom Gambling Commission, this governing body holds casinos to the highest standards and protects customers.
The UKGC’s mission is to ensure fair gambling and keep crime out of it. Its licenses are among the most expensive and have the strictest rules. Let’s take a look at the importance of UKGC licensing and how to ensure fair play and safety.
What Actions Does the UKGC Take?
The UKGC works to protect vulnerable players from being exploited by gambling companies. Something like that wouldn’t happen at casino sites licenced from the UKGC . By being exploited, we mean taken advantage of – unfair casino sites would push players who spend recklessly even more, which only deepens the problem for the player.
One of the ways the UKGC does this is by verifying the age of all customers. All UKGC-licenced casino sites are obligated to perform age checks, and all gambling products must be advertised in a clean and transparent ways to different age groups. In order to ensure everything’s up to standards, the UKGC carries out regular monitoring and audits of casinos, ensuring compliance with rules and regulations.
If a gambling company breaks these rules, the penalties are harsh. The UKGC usually strips casinos of their licence, which leads to them being pushed out of the market. While all of this sounds unfair and tough, these rules ensure that gambling is kept safe and fair. It’s all aligned with the UKGC’s goal of creating and ensuring a thriving and vibrant gaming industry in the UK.
The United Kingdom Gambling Commission also works with law enforcement agencies to keep crime out of gambling. The nature of gambling draws in various individuals involved in criminal activities. The UKGC aims to prosecute illegal gambling activities, tackling illicit funding, terrorist financing, and other gambling-related criminal activities. It performs deep financial audits of licensees, monitors player activity and Customer Due Diligence processes, performs risk assessment, and reports any suspicious activity.
If you think that it’s all just on paper, you couldn’t be more wrong. Many operators have been fined for anti-money laundering failings. For example, Platinum Gaming Limited and 32Red have been fined a whopping £7.1 million in regards to AML failings. That was in 2023, and several other operators have been hit with similar fines over similar incidents.
The UKGC From a Player Perspective
The UKGC objectives are clear from a business point of view. Do they have an impact on players? The answer is a resounding yes. The governing body’s ultimate goal is to protect the player. Besides risk assessment checks and ensuring that businesses play by its rules, the UKGC has also imposed some other rules that have a direct impact on player entertainment .
In order to keep everything fair and fun, all players at UKGC-licensed casinos must be over 18. You can’t lie on the registration form, as you’ll need to confirm your age with documents later during the KYC check. This happens before you make a deposit at these casinos or before the first withdrawal. In any way, you must send personal documents that verify your age and identity before you can proceed and play.
The good news is that this process is fully automated, and takes about a day at most. Once verified, you won’t need to repeat it unless you win a truly big amount. In this case, further verification may be required.
To protect players even further, the United Kingdom Gambling Commission has issued new rules on the payment methods that can be used. A couple of years back, it has banned credit cards for online gambling. This has been done after extensive research, which has shown that players leverage large credit card lines to continue playing. In that way, they’re more susceptive to irresponsible gaming, which remains a major problem.
Because of that, casino sites licensed by the UKGC are obliged to offer responsible gambling pages with useful tips and guides as well as tools for deposit limits and self-exclusion.
Casino sites must hold all customer funds in a separate client bank account. They must also display the UKGC badge on their website. Customers must be able to scroll down the website and read more about the license, including the number and other specifics.
Casino Bonuses and Ads Guidelines
When it comes to casino bonuses and ads, the UKGC keeps a lid on them as well. Bonuses are heavily restricted in terms of advertising . The casino site must advertise bonuses with clear guidelines. All information must be presented in a proper way, so customers can decide if they want to claim the offer.
Players should be allowed to walk away from playing at any time. They’re allowed to keep whatever’s left of their deposit and winnings. Casino sites must also make it clear when players play with real money or bonus winnings. Failure to do so will result in a fine. Restrictions on how to use your bonus funds must also be clear. UKGC-licensed casinos must make it clear when the bonus expires, what the maximum bet size is, and what the wagering requirements are.
Offers can’t change once displayed in order to ensure fair play. As for gambling ads, the rules are even tighter. Misleading advertising is a serious issue for the United Kingdom Gambling Commission, which charges pretty high fines for such behaviour.
Shaping Up the Future of Gambling
Although the UKGC’s guidelines seem strict and unfair, they’re there to ensure that players are safe. Gambling can be a dangerous habit, but with proper guidelines and rules, it can be a fun activity as it should be. With its strict rules, the UKGC aims to shape the future of gambling. Others should follow its example if they want to ensure a fair gaming experience.
