UKGC Publishes the 2019-2020 Business Plan Which Focuses on Underage and Vulnerable Players’ Protection
The UK Gambling Commission has published its 2019-2020 Business Plan a few days ago. Central to the Plan is the vulnerable and underage players’ protection. The Commission outlined the key areas of focus for the year ahead in terms of preventing harm, protecting players, improving the way the UKGC regulates, optimising returns to good causes from National Lottery and raising standards.
The UKGC’s Chief Executive Neil McArthur said that the Business Plan highlights all the milestones and projects the Commission intends to complete in the next 12 months, as they move into the second year of the overall Strategy 2018-2021. The Commission’s key objective in this ever-growing market is to make gambling fairer for players. As he said, the UKGC exists to safeguard players and the general public by regulating gambling and giving guidance and advice on how to make gambling and National Lottery safer for players. Stating that he's very proud of the progress the UKGC has made with the Strategy, although aware that there is so much more to do, McArthur finished his statement.
2 Key Points Related to the Players
The 11-page Business Plan includes McArthur’s statement, a diagram showing the forecast fee income and the 5 key points the UKGC plans to attend to, improve and strengthen with its regulations.
The financials, as shown in the diagram, represent 0.2% of the total revenue in the industry, and the fee income is broken down in categories. As presented in the diagram, the largest part of the fee income comes from betting (32%), then casinos (27%) and then software (16%). The machines, lotteries, arcades and bingo contribute 8%, 7%, 6% and 4%, respectively.
The first key point in the Plan is to protect the interests of players. UKGC promises to publish their priority actions and feedback on the evidence they have collected on the use of credit cards for online gambling. They also intend to improve alternative dispute resolution standards, upgrade their website making it more informative and accessible across all devices, and undertake meaningful player research to understand how to best assist harm prevention. In addition, they promise to assess how effective the current player protections are on machines in Category D and C and take action where needed and provide the evidence they have collected on Category B player protection.
In the second point of the Plan, we see the strategies to prevent harm to players and the general public. The UKGC is set to launch a new National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms, deliver it successfully by updating the current outdated arrangements and publish an implementation plan for it. The regulator also promises to review the current treatment and prevention initiatives by the industry and to publish an action plan where a needs-led approach is central. The UKGC will assess the industry’s process of game development and designs, checking whether there’s a breach of regulations and whether regulatory intervention is necessary, and together with the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority), they will review the impact of gambling ads and promotions on young people, vulnerable and underage players.
3 Key Points Related to Regulations
The third point is related to raising gambling market standards by delivering best practice programme through publications and interactive events, building on the Raising Standards Conference success, and through initiatives such as KYC to continue developing the sector and operator oversight. Also, the regulator intends to implement Licensing Conditions and Codes of Practice changes to raise operators' standards in addressing gambling-related harms. The UKGC states that it will support the UK Government in developing the Regulatory Supervisor for Money Laundering role and will publish the Money Laundering Risk Assessment 2019.
Optimizing returns to good causes from National Lottery is the fourth point in the Plan. The UKGC will respond to the operator’s strategy to increase the amount of money raised for good causes. They will officially launch the competition for the next National Lottery license, by issuing a draft invitation for license applications, concluding a series of interactions and engagement events to inform future development of the next license and competition, and building excitement through a special briefing on the competition for the next franchise.
And finally, the UKGC promises to improve the way they regulate. They will start by developing a revised People Strategy that is adequate for the future and by consulting with stakeholders on how they check, collect and use operator data. Then, they will continue by assessing how regulation fees might need to change in accordance with market and sector changes. They will be there for the people, they will support players by being accessible online by extending their use of the gov.uk style. And they will improve the experience for the Personal Licenses applications online.
The UK Gambling Commission has published its 2019-2020 Business Plan a few days ago. Central to the Plan is the vulnerable and underage players’ protection. The Commission outlined the key areas of focus for the year ahead in terms of preventing harm, protecting players, improving the way the UKGC regulates, optimising returns to good causes from National Lottery and raising standards.
The UKGC’s Chief Executive Neil McArthur said that the Business Plan highlights all the milestones and projects the Commission intends to complete in the next 12 months, as they move into the second year of the overall Strategy 2018-2021. The Commission’s key objective in this ever-growing market is to make gambling fairer for players. As he said, the UKGC exists to safeguard players and the general public by regulating gambling and giving guidance and advice on how to make gambling and National Lottery safer for players. Stating that he's very proud of the progress the UKGC has made with the Strategy, although aware that there is so much more to do, McArthur finished his statement.
2 Key Points Related to the Players
The 11-page Business Plan includes McArthur’s statement, a diagram showing the forecast fee income and the 5 key points the UKGC plans to attend to, improve and strengthen with its regulations.
The financials, as shown in the diagram, represent 0.2% of the total revenue in the industry, and the fee income is broken down in categories. As presented in the diagram, the largest part of the fee income comes from betting (32%), then casinos (27%) and then software (16%). The machines, lotteries, arcades and bingo contribute 8%, 7%, 6% and 4%, respectively.
The first key point in the Plan is to protect the interests of players. UKGC promises to publish their priority actions and feedback on the evidence they have collected on the use of credit cards for online gambling. They also intend to improve alternative dispute resolution standards, upgrade their website making it more informative and accessible across all devices, and undertake meaningful player research to understand how to best assist harm prevention. In addition, they promise to assess how effective the current player protections are on machines in Category D and C and take action where needed and provide the evidence they have collected on Category B player protection.
In the second point of the Plan, we see the strategies to prevent harm to players and the general public. The UKGC is set to launch a new National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms, deliver it successfully by updating the current outdated arrangements and publish an implementation plan for it. The regulator also promises to review the current treatment and prevention initiatives by the industry and to publish an action plan where a needs-led approach is central. The UKGC will assess the industry’s process of game development and designs, checking whether there’s a breach of regulations and whether regulatory intervention is necessary, and together with the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority), they will review the impact of gambling ads and promotions on young people, vulnerable and underage players.
3 Key Points Related to Regulations
The third point is related to raising gambling market standards by delivering best practice programme through publications and interactive events, building on the Raising Standards Conference success, and through initiatives such as KYC to continue developing the sector and operator oversight. Also, the regulator intends to implement Licensing Conditions and Codes of Practice changes to raise operators' standards in addressing gambling-related harms. The UKGC states that it will support the UK Government in developing the Regulatory Supervisor for Money Laundering role and will publish the Money Laundering Risk Assessment 2019.
Optimizing returns to good causes from National Lottery is the fourth point in the Plan. The UKGC will respond to the operator’s strategy to increase the amount of money raised for good causes. They will officially launch the competition for the next National Lottery license, by issuing a draft invitation for license applications, concluding a series of interactions and engagement events to inform future development of the next license and competition, and building excitement through a special briefing on the competition for the next franchise.
And finally, the UKGC promises to improve the way they regulate. They will start by developing a revised People Strategy that is adequate for the future and by consulting with stakeholders on how they check, collect and use operator data. Then, they will continue by assessing how regulation fees might need to change in accordance with market and sector changes. They will be there for the people, they will support players by being accessible online by extending their use of the gov.uk style. And they will improve the experience for the Personal Licenses applications online.
