In the ongoing saga about gambling regulation in the United Kingdom, a new development has raised eyebrows in some corners.
In the latest round of developments in the continuing anti-FOBT and anti-bookie bias saga, three of the four largest High Street bookmakers — namely Ladbrokes, William Hill, and Coral, as well as perennial bad boys Paddy Power — have signed up with a new trade body called the Senet Group, an independent watchdog that seems to be a competitor for the existing Gambling Commission.
The new signatories to the Senet Group agreement will also change the advertising arrangements in their shops, introducing new limits on what can be advertised — no more FOBT roulette machine adverts, for example — and promising to use about 20% of their window space for responsible gambling messages.
This is in addition to previous pre-commitments on gambling limits, for when a player bets more than £250 in one session.
Needless to say, this seems to have pleased just about nobody, with anti-gambling community claiming that this is just window dressing, and regulators presumably arguing that the industry’s own self-regulating group is jumping the gun on their own future restrictions.
The reply is that the Gambling Commission itself is a largely toothless body, not “fit for purpose,” as anti-gambling activists have claimed. This, it would seem, is about the only point on which the pro- and anti-gambling camps agree.
Other new regulations introduced by the Senet Group will be restrictions on advertising, bonuses, and sign-up offers, as well as limits on free spins.
We’ve covered some of these points before, and, in all honesty, we think that both sides have solid points. We’ve always said that gambling should be a fun pastime, not something that causes damage to individuals and families. It is with this in mind, then, that we’d like to suggest that we give the big bookies a break for a while and see how this new regulation scheme works out.
And in the meantime, we suggest you keep playing online. It’s actually safer than playing in a brick-and-mortar casino.
So gamble safely, gamble responsibly, and keep an eye on these new developments.