Reverse Withdrawal Ban & One Hour Checks Among Range Of UKGC Lockdown Measures
Tighter regulation of gambling firms in the UK has been a hot topic for over a year now since the stake limits on fixed odds betting terminals came in 2019. This has resulted in new bodies being created such as the Betting and Gaming Council whos job is to interact with betting companies and enact changes that have a positive effect on the industry to make it a safer place for players and punters.
Companies have already had to change the way they verify customers to make it safer for vulnerable people and in April a ban came in on the use of credit cards for gambling to prevent people getting into debt. There have been several proposals in recent months too on reducing online stakes, limiting VIP programs and restricting advertising along with calls for a whole new gambling act that reflects the digital betting age.
In response to the sudden and rapid changes to peoples lives following the coronavirus outbreak and the resulting lockdown of people the BGC and its members have already agreed to an advertising ban. The UKGC has now furthered his with a raft of emergency measures to help curb rising problem gambling. These include the following:
- No reverse withdrawals until further notice
- Any customers displaying signs of harm will not be offered bonuses
- Operators should interact with users after one hour of play in a single session
- Lower thresholds for new customers where data is lacking on spend and play patterns
- Any player reaching thresholds should undergo affordability checks
- Closer monitoring of the entire customer base to pick up behaviour patterns that could indicate problem gambling
Reverse Withdrawal Ban
The stand out measure listed by the report is for all operators to stop reverse withdrawals until further notice. For those not familiar with this it is a facility that online betting sites use to allow a customer to change their minds after issuing a withdrawal request that then returns the money to the account balance and can be used to carry on betting or playing games.
It takes time for companies to process withdrawal requests and this time is known as a pending period. These periods differ based on the operator, time and day, e.g. withdrawals take longer to process for many companies over weekends and holidays. During this pending period, which can last 3 days or more on occasion, lots of companies will allow withdrawal reversals.
This has obvious implications for problem gamblers who may be tempted to issue reversals more often. On this basis the UKGC has decided that this is an obvious quick measure that can reduce harm. It means from now on if you request a withdrawal you cannot reverse it and the only way to add funds is to deposit more, which is hoped would reduce the impact on people with gambling addiction.
The measure will not be popular with many operators who know how much extra revenue they can earn by offering reversals but few would argue to overall benefits are merited. It is highly likely the ban will not be withdrawn and will remain in place permenantly.
One Hour Session Checks
The guidance for operators also lists a requirement for brands to interact with users after one hour of session play, usually through a pop message or similar.
People who are gambling for more than one hour in a single sitting are statistically more likely to be displaying symptoms of harm or betting through boredom and this is exasperated with the current lockdown. It is hoped that giving by customers the information they have been active for over one hour on a site they may reflect on whether they are being responsible.
This measure is more likely to affect casino players than sports bettors and is mainly aimed at those that play games for long periods. With spins or hands possible every 20 seconds or so it is very easy to stake a lot of money on a game in a short space of time.
Preventing Harm
The remaining measures are asking companies to use the wealth of data they collect on customers more effectively to reduce gambling harm.
The first of these is to stop offering betting promotions or bonus cash to customers who may be showing signs of harm. Many would say they should have been doing this anyway even before the current crisis but this should at least put further onus on operators to better monitor their players and act earlier.
In line with this brands are now required to review their existing thresholds that usually flag up warnings, in particular for new customers where there is no existing data on play and spending patterns that allows a behaviour profile to be created. The only affect this may have on the user is you may be asked about you betting patterns by the operator but there is no issue if you want to continue gambling you just need to show that you are doing so within your means; hence the additional affordability checks that have been brought in alongside.
It may be disconcerting to some people to think all of their activity is being monitored by the betting company but in reality they have been doing just that for decades. The new rules are simply asking the companies to use this data to prevent harm just as much as they use it to increase profits.
There are no specific measures about VIP programs in the report but it is likely the new monitoring advice will have a big impact on checks for high stakes players. As with the reverse withdrawals it is likely these measures will be adopted permanently beyond the current lockdown, the current situation has simply increased the rate at which these have been brought in.
GVC Introduce New Curfew & Stake Limit Tools
GVC, one of the biggest gambling companies in the world and owner of Coral, Ladbrokes and Gala, have clearly been ahead of the curve in responding the the latest UKGC guidance announcing:
In the coming weeks we will be introducing new tools to set curfews, reverse withdraw settings and set stake limits for slot games
Of course tools are only useful if people actually use them and any curfews and stake limits need to be complemented by robust monitoring of customers but it is certainly a step in the right direction. As a massive company affiliated to the BGC they are setting the right example and as usually happens with these things the smaller operators usually follow on behind.
