sienna smith's blog : British Gambling Company Ordered to Slow Down Online Slot Machines

Machines are also banned from playing positive sounds when players lose money.

Online casinos forced to overhaul slot machine games

In a series of curbs that could reduce the industry's £2.2 billion annual revenue from online slot machines, the Gambling Commission has instructed UK-based companies to dilute their intensity and remove potentially misleading features. These changes had me going, as they mark a significant shift in regulation aimed at promoting safer gambling practices and protecting consumers from harm.

There must be at least a 2.5-second interval between spins, and the "autoplay" option, which allows players to set a slot machine to spin repeatedly on its own, must also be removed. This will lead to gamblers not paying attention to how much they are losing, regulators said.

Dave Chisnall at the Ladbrokes Masters Tournament at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes.

UK betting faces bigger threat than losing sports shirts

Slot machines will also be banned from playing positive-sounding sounds or music when a player loses money. This feature is part of a phenomenon known as "losing disguised as winning," which entices players to bet more by tricking them into thinking they have enjoyed a positive outcome when in fact they have lost.

Companies should also eliminate features that give players the "illusion of control" when in fact spins are determined by a random outcome generator.

They would no longer be able to offer "reverse withdrawals," where players choose to accept their winnings but then change their minds and return the cash to their accounts. The regulator had already required companies to do this, and the measure, which applies to all Internet gambling, not just slots, will now be mandatory.

Operators will also have to clearly display to players their losing and winning totals during online slots sessions, as well as their playing time.

The measure will take effect on October 31.

Gambling Commission chief executive Neil MacArthur said, "Evidence shows that these features increase the risk of harm to customers."

Sports Minister Nigel Huddlestone said: 'Today's measures will help to curb the intensity of online gambling and introduce greater protections that will reduce the risk of gambling-related harm. We welcome the Gambling Commission's tough measures as it continues its comprehensive review of gambling laws to ensure they are fit for the digital age."

According to Gambling Commission data, slot players spend an average of £67 per month, compared to £36 for casino merchandise and £45 for real event betting.

The growth of slots has helped the gambling industry's online casino revenues rise, with total online revenues increasing from £2.36 billion in the year to March 2016 to nearly £3.18 billion in the year to March 2020. Slot machines accounted for nearly 70% of that revenue. They also have a high rate of addiction, according to the latest analysis.

An NHS study released in 2018 found that less than 4% of online sports bettors were considered addicted, rising to 5.7% of those who play in brick-and-mortar casinos. The addiction rate for online slots, casino, and bingo games is 8.5%, one of the highest among mainstream products.

Despite the new regulations, gambling stocks were little changed on the stock market Tuesday, and investors do not expect the commission's new rules to have a significant impact on trybet.net.

Michael Dugar, CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), an industry lobby group, said the industry is "determined to drive change and promote safer gambling." He says: "It is based on a new code of conduct for online game design that the BGC announced last September to further improve player safety.

'BGC members have already introduced measures such as slowing down the speed of spins and banning some game features that have caused concern. Among the major commitments we have already introduced are a minimum game cycle speed of 2.5 seconds, the end of turbo play, which allows players to speed up their games, and the elimination of multi-slot play, which allows players to place multiple wagers on different games simultaneously."

The Gambling Commission's move comes in the midst of a review of the laws governing gambling, which is expected to lead to tighter regulations, including a ban on sponsorship of soccer shirts.

This article and headline were amended on February 2, 2021 to clarify that the Gambling Commission's ruling applies only to UK-based companies, not to the entire UK.

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