Gambling Commission issues call for evidence on Category B gaming machines and player protection

“The Gambling Commission has this week issued a call for evidence on player protection surrounding Category B gaming machines.

The Commission has stated that the call for evidence is an opportunity for the industry to outline plans to meet the challenges set out in the Government’s Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures.

Following recent engagement with the industry, the Commission has raised concerns regarding industry efforts to develop meaningful controls for Category B gaming machines. The Commission has highlighted incentives for the industry to show a commitment to enhancing player protections, including:-

• The potential use of player data to understand patterns of play and offer personalised customer experience.
• The prospect of changes to stakes and prizes where the industry can demonstrate that it can effectively manage the risk of gambling-related harm.
• The opportunity to pre-empt further regulatory intervention, which might include mandatory controls or a review of key game characteristics like speed of play.

The maximum stake for category B2 gaming machines will be reduced from £100 to £2 in April this year. Although Category B1 and B3 machines will still have maximum stakes of £5 and £2 respectively, due to the speed at which B1 and B3 machines can be played the Commission considers the risk associated with them to be similar to that of B2 machines.

The consultation ends on 16th May 2019 and interested parties can provide their views via the Gambling Commission’s website – https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/news-action-and-statistics/Consultations/Open-consultations/Gambling-Commission-calls-for-evidence-on-Category-B-gaming-machines.aspx.”

For more information on this topic or anything else licensing related, please contact Solicitor, David Inzani on d.inzani@popall.co.uk or 0203 859 7753.