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All legitimate pay by mobile casino sites will have been awarded a licence from a regulatory body. This means that the online casinos are legally obliged to adhere to gambling rules and regulations or risk having their licence revoked. Governments across the world have created regulatory bodies specifically to monitor gambling activities in particular countries, states and jurisdictions. These regulatory bodies are known as gambling commissions, gambling authorities or gaming boards.
Who regulates online casinos in the UK?
Gambling in the UK has been a popular pastime for centuries. However, gambling did not become legal until 1960. As more casinos opened their doors, the government introduced the Gaming Act, 1968. This act established the Gaming Board of Great Britain who regulated the industry until 2005.
The casino industry has evolved since the sixties and the first online casino was launched in 1996. As of 2020 online casinos dominate the casino industry, generating £3.2billion in gross gambling yield. The Gambling Act, 2005 updated the existing gambling laws to reflect changes in the industry and a new casino regulator was established.
Today online casino sites are regulated by The Gambling Commission. It is a government agency which is responsible for regulating arcades, betting, bingo, casinos, fruit machines, lottery gambling and remote gambling.
The Gambling Act 2005
The Gambling Act provided new powers for casino regulatory bodies and increased protections for individuals gambling in the UK.
The Act has three main objectives:
- Protecting children and other vulnerable people
- Ensuring gambling is conducted fairly and openly
- Keeping gambling crime free.
The Gambling commission grants licences to operators who uphold these objectives.
However, many online casino sites were set up outside the UK to avoid gaming regulations. And this was perfectly legal according to the 2005 Act. However, with the rising popularity of online casinos in the UK The Gambling Act was eventually amended. In 2014, the Gambling Licensing and Advertising Act mandated that remote operators including online casinos need to have a UK license and are subject to taxes on profits from UK players.
What are the responsibilities of online casino regulatory bodies?
Online casino regulatory bodies do not just grant licences, an important part of their work is to ensure that licensees including online casinos are compliant with the law and the licence conditions and codes of practice.
The gambling commission ensures compliance by:
- Carrying out reviews
- Giving advice to licence holders
- Taking preventative action
- Imposing additional licence conditions
- Reviewing financial information
If an online casino is not compliant with the law or its licence conditions, it’s regulatory body will act, and the casino can lose its licence.
Why online casino regulation is good for players.
Online casino sites are better regulated than ever before and this is great news for players. If you’re betting with a licensed online casino you have peace of mind that everything on the site is above board and you are protected by the regulatory body.
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