The UK government has announced big online gambling legislation changes coming up in September.
The authorities have set a maximum stake limit of £2 ($2.53) for online slots that they will introduce for the first time in history at the end of 10 long weeks of consultations during which most respondents were in favor of the proposal part of the gambling white paper.
The consultations hosted a series of industry views from providers of gambling harem treatments, academics, and individuals.
The £2 threshold will apply to players ages 18 to 24. A different £5 ($6.33) limit for adults who are at least 25 years old will also be applied.
Countering the Risk of Life-Changing Losses
The changes come in the well-known context of the increasing popularity recorded by online casinos with special emphasis on easily accessible online slot games.
The latter represent one of the most addictive forms of gambling and they are often associated with long gameplay sessions, binge gambling, and losing large amounts of money with serious negative impacts on players’ lives.
The fact that they do not have any statutory stake limits, which is the case for slot machines in brick-and-mortar casinos, has convinced the government in the UK to take action.
The lower stake limit for young adults between 18-24 has been chosen as a result of this age group having the highest average problem gambling score of all the assessed groups.
Moreover, the group also has lower levels of disposable income, deals with neurological development that can impact the way they perceive risks, and they also need to learn how to manage money for the first time.
Additional evidence has also shown a more powerful stronger link between harm related to gambling and suicide among the younger population.
Backup from GambleAware
Gambling Minister Stuart Andrew spoke about the evidence that “shows that there is a significantly higher problem gambling rate for online slot games.”
In connection to the vulnerability expressed by young adults concerning gambling-related harms, added Andrew, the government has decided to address both of these matters in the new white paper.
GambleAware‘s chief executive officer, Zoë Osmond, welcomed the announcement and described the decision as “an important mechanism to protect young people.”
Osmond added that while they will keep working toward fighting this “growing public health issue,” they will also work together with the government and others in the gambling harms sector to introduce better preventative measures.
Earlier in the week, the UK Gambling Commission announced the launch of a pilot scheme for enhanced affordability checks.
In the context of GambleAware’s survey which showed strong public support for affordability checks, the pilot is expected to be successful.