Betting Business News
Children and young people need to be better protected from accessing unlicensed black market gambling operators with the Betting And Gaming Council (BGC) urging the government to step up its protection measures.
According to the BGC, 200,000 people used the unregulated sites last year with search engines returning results containing 38 per cent of such firms when the key betting terms were used.
Black market operators do not possess the same strict age and identification checks required by law for UK-licensed firms, allowing an easier passage for children to gamble under age.
Michael Dugher, chief executive of the BGC, said: “Search platforms are promoting black-market gambling operators for profit, putting the British consumers, including children, at risk. None of the UK’s strict licensed safeguards are in place on these illegal sites.
“Regulated bookies and online operators have a strict zero tolerance approach to underage gambling, yet unlicensed operators are free to prey on vulnerable consumers.”
The BGC believes action against sites who profit from black-market gambling should form part of the government’s Online Harms Bill, which is going through a period of consultation which will be made available in the spring.
Dugher said: “We welcome the government’s Online Harms Bill. But it also provides the government with a chance to clamp down on the black market and help protect punters who want a flutter in a safe environment.”
Responding to an urgent question on the Online Harms Bill asked by Julian Knight MP on Thursday, digital minister Matt Warman said the government is “taking significant action to tackle the issue of harm taking place online”.
He added: “This publication and the other plans we are driving forward will help to make Britain the safest place to be online and the best digital economy in the world.”
Experts meet to discuss “single customer view”
More than a hundred industry experts from the gambling and technology industries met last week to make progress on creating a single industry-wide solution to help reduce gambling harm.
They attended the two-day Gambling Commission event in Birmingham to work on the challenges associated with achieving a “single customer view”, where customers have multiple online accounts.
The experts came from 12 operators including 888, Bet365, Betfred, GVC, Sky Bet and William Hill and from a mix of roles including marketing, compliance, data and customer interaction.
The initiative was also supported by the Betting and Gaming Council with representatives from the Information Commissioners Office also attending to provide information on individual rights and to discuss issues around privacy.
Gambling Commission chief executive Neil McArthurGambling Commission chief executive Neil McArthur said: “We recognise that keeping a customer safe where operators currently only have a partial view of a customer’s behaviour is a challenge. That is why we are bringing together experts from outside and within the gambling industry to explore how technology could create a single customer view, as it has the potential to significantly improve customer protection.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing what is possible. We are constantly looking for opportunities to reduce gambling-related harm and there is always more to be done.
“Using technology to facilitate a single view of consumer activity is one of a range of actions we are pursuing to make gambling safer.”
The Gambling Commission is working with operators in areas such as ethical game design, the use of advertising technology, and incentives for high value customers, also known as VIPs.
The industry regulator has set tight deadlines and has told the industry it expects to see progress by the end of March this year, or face the prospect of bans and tougher regulation.
However, the commission has been criticised by MPs and campaigners for involving operators in the work.
Regulator told to “stop being reactive”
Labour MP Carolyn Harris last week said she welcomed a Gambling Commission commitment to review online gambling stakes but told the industry regulator to “stop being reactive”.
Gambling Commission chief executive Neil McArthur said the review would take place in the next six months when he appeared before the Gambling Related Harm All Party Parliamentary Group last week.
News of the commitment led to a sharp fall in gambling stocks.
McArthur faced questioning from Harris, the chair of the APPG, along with vice chairs Sir Iain Duncan Smith and Ronnie Cowan, along with Lord Foster.
He was pressed on a number of issues including being asked if the Gambling Commission was “fit for purpose” and about what the APPG described as the “ineffectualness” of fines on the behaviour of online gambling companies.
The APPG has previously called for stake limits for online gambling including a £2 limit for slot content in a report published in November.
Carolyn Harris MP: Review of online stakes “long overdue”GambleAwareHarris said: “A review of stake limits online has been clearly recommended by the All Party Parliamentary Group and is long overdue. I am very pleased that the Gambling Commission has finally seen sense on this.
“Online slot content games should be reduced to £2 a spin in line with the rules in betting shops. The Gambling Commission must stop being reactive and take action to protect the vulnerable from harm in line with their licensing objectives.”
The commission has said that it had already indicated last autumn that it would be looking at online stakes, along with other issues such as VIP schemes.
Analysts at Regulus Partners have estimated that the overall impact of a £2 maximum stake for online slots would be to reduce the online sector by around £480 million in revenue terms.
Hills appoint new chief financial officer
William Hill have appointed Adrian Marsh as their next chief financial officer (CFO), succeeding Ruth Prior who is leaving the company to join Element Materials Technology.
Marsh, who will join the company and be appointed as an executive director to the William Hill board later in the year, joins the bookmaker from international packaging business DS Smith Plc where he has been group CFO for the past seven years.
William Hill chief executive Ulrik Bengtsson said: “I am delighted to welcome Adrian to the board.
“As a proven CFO of a FTSE listed company with M&A, deal execution and multi-sector finance experience in US and European markets, he will be able to make a significant contribution to William Hill in the enablement of the strategy and is a great addition to the team.”
Betfred named as big fight sponsor
Betfred have been named as the official sponsor of the rematch between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury which takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday.
The news is the latest step in Betfred’s move into the US sports betting market.
They have already opened their first US sportsbook at Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort in Iowa and have recently agreed deals with both Wind Creek Bethlehem (for Pennsylvania sports betting operations) and Saratoga Casino (for Colorado sports betting operations).
Betfred boss and founder Fred Done said: “I’m delighted to be a sponsor of the most anticipated fight of the year and if Wilder v Fury II is anything like the first fight we are in for a superb night.”