The subject of safety in the online casino industry is still one that undergoes much scrutiny from those inside and outside the industry, as many companies and associations work together to attempt to create the safest possible environment for players.While opinions on how best to accomplish this may differ, in the minds of most, the UK is one of the safest jurisdictions for online casino players in the world.
The history
Like the rest of the iGaming market, and indeed, like online industries in general, the UK online casino industry did not always hold security as its highest priority.However, things quickly changed when more and more people got online, and over the 20 plus years since the inception of the first online casinos, the safety and security across the board has increased dramatically, but that is perhaps most true in the UK.
UKGC
The regulatory body in the United Kingdom is the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) which was formed as part of the Gambling Act 2005 that saw the regulation of online gambling take centre stage.Answering to the UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media, and Sport, the UKGC regulates all aspects of online gambling in the UK with the exception of spread betting, and their main focus is to ensure that all operators in the UK meet their standards.After a fairly recent law change, any online casino that operates in the UK, wherever they are based, needs to hold a license with the UKGC, and must, as part of that license agreement, be tested regularly for fairness and player security.Another priority of the UKGC, and something that is becoming increasingly discussed in the industry, is the protection of vulnerable gamblers, something that the UK Government takes very seriously.
Recent changes
The most recent law change for players in the UK came not in the online world, but in land-based betting shops, where fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) has their maximum bet sliced from £100 down to £2 in an attempt to protect players.This focus has also translated to the online world, and the UKGC especially have not been gentle when dealing with those who are perceived to have fallen below the expected standards.Several multi-million pound fines have been dished out by the Commission to operators who were deemed to have shown unprofessional conduct with players who were showing clear warning signs of problem gambling, and those who had opted for self-exclusion from some or all online casino sites.
What’s Next?
UK players have the option to not worry too much when it comes to their security at online casinos, while online gambling is freely available and legally, it’s also heavily regulated.However, there are always ways to improve, and based on recent actions of the UKGC and the UK Government, it seems like the focus on safety and security for players is only going to grow over coming years, making the UK an even safer place to play your favourite online casino games.