Upcoming UK gambling white paper to focus on slots
The United Kingdom is one of the European region’s largest destinations for gambling, with the sector’s total revenue averaging over 10 billion Pounds per year for the past eight years. Because of this, the industry’s regulation is a major responsibility for the country’s government, as its safety is a big part of its success.
The upcoming evaluation of the United Kingdom’s Gambling Act has everyone involved in the sector on their toes, as its impact on the industry could be quite substantial.
Gambling White Paper – when will it be published?
The review of the country’s gambling laws first started back in 2019, however, because of the country’s rapidly changing political landscape over the past three years, the white paper got delayed numerous times. It was originally expected to come out back when Liz Truss was the British Prime Minister, however, under Rishi Sunak’s power the review may be further delayed.
The online slot genre is still a favorite for British players
Approximately 40 million adults enjoy various casino experiences in the United Kingdom, with the vast majority of them having a slot as their top game of choice. Taking into account the expansive selection of slot games available on the market with varying themes, bonus mechanics, and multipliers, it is unsurprising to see the genre has managed to please millions of players.
Operator comparison site casinotopsonline.com confirms this, with its Giuseppe Faraone stating that:
“…almost all casino websites have a sizable portion of their catalogs dedicated to slots.”
The potential implications of the upcoming White Paper on slots
Many industry professionals expect that the review will have a separate section focusing on slot games alone, with a large emphasis being put on player safety. The country’s gambling regulator has done similar things before, with its recommendation of prohibiting auto-play functionality for online slots back in 2021 being one of the best examples.
Moreover, it is expected that other restrictions may be imposed as well, such as wager limits per round and per playing session.
Safer titles to be favored
The upcoming review will likely promote games that offer a safer experience and minimize the role of luck. This will lead to stricter rules for the genre, which, just like the regulator’s previous banning of under 2.5-second slots, will have the aim of reducing player spending.
Gambling Act review to cover other aspects of the industry
Although a major focus on the slot game genre is quite sensible due to its popularity, the upcoming White Paper will cover many other aspects of the sector, such as platform and game licensing, betting limits, and payment systems. It is still impossible to know what changes the review will bring with it for certain, although it is pretty safe to guess that everything will be aimed at improving player safety.