UK Gambling Commission Looking at New Rules for Age Verification and Credit Card Use

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC)recently released its Review of Online Gambling and the recommendations contained within the report could mean major headaches for UK operators. In the report, which runs about 50,000 words, are recommendations for everything from banning the use of credit cards for online gambling to significant changes to the current standards for verifying the age of potential players.
One of the most significant recommended changes is the suggestion that the use of credit cards for online gambling should be severely restricted or eliminated entirely. It is the Commission’s belief that, “…consumers should not gamble with money that they do not have.” In their view, that means that people who use credit cards to gamble don’t have the cash to back it up. That said, the Commission also suggests that limiting the use of credit cards could wind up sending problem gamblers into the arms of high interest payday loan operators.
The Commission also recommended that age verification practices for online gambling operators should be updated as part of a push towards more due diligence during player signups. This would include a push towards finding out if a player really has the financial means to support his or her gambling habits. In theory, this effort would reduce the number of high-stakes players who are gambling with embezzled or otherwise stolen funds.
Finally, the UKGC is looking to crack down on the games operators play by hiding things like dormancy fees deep within the legalese of their terms and conditions. This would also include more scrutiny of dodgy bonus offers that players are unlikely to ever receive.
In short, the UK-facing online gambling industry can expect to be receiving a lot more attention from UK gaming regulators in the months ahead, and that scrutiny is likely to have a major impact on their daily operations.