Regulatory Timeline: Gambling
Published on 7th Oct 2015
“Gambling regulation continues to evolve in the face of new risks and opportunities online. Various new code provisions are due to come into force over the coming months, and social media activity looks set to face fresh scrutiny.”
1 October 2015 – New Gambling Commission chief executive
Sarah Harrison, who has just taken over from Jenny Williams as the Gambling Commission’s chief executive, has said she is looking forward to the challenges of “regulating an industry which is changing rapidly with technology”.
31 October 2015 – New Gambling Commission remote gambling and software technical standards
Various changes under the February 2015 Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice come into effect on 31 October 2015, including amendments to remote technical standards (RTS) 8, 12 and 13 relating to auto-play, financial limits and reality checks. Amended social responsibility code provisions 3.3.4 (remote gambling time-out facilities) and 3.3.5 (automated self-exclusion facilities) also come into effect.
February 2016 – Gambling Industry Code for Socially Responsible Advertising 2nd edition in force
In August 2015 the last strand of the UK Government’s four-strand review was completed, with the Industry Group for Responsible Gambling publishing a second edition of this Code. The new edition adds extra requirements around inclusion and prominence of gambleaware.co.uk and responsible gambling messaging; new limitations on pre-9pm watershed advertising; new rules on 18+ messaging; and additional sections on online banner ads and social media. The Code is due to come into force in February 2016.
6 April 2016 – Various new LCCP provisions
Social responsibility code provisions 3.5.6 (non-remote multi-operator self-exclusion) and 10.1.1 (assessment of local risk) and ordinary code provision 10.1.2 (sharing local risk assessments) come into force on 6 April 2016.
2016 – New rules to protect under-18s in social media?
The 2nd edition of the Gambling Industry Code for Socially Responsible Advertising (see above) states that “it is understood that the government intends, in co-operation with the industry and other stakeholders, to undertake further work to ensure that under 18s are suitably protected when using social media”. The timetable and nature of that work are not clear.
