Rishi Sunak shows support for the Gambling Act Review, says report

In December 2020, the UK launched a review of the Gambling Act. The country's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) initiated the review of the main gambling law in the country in an effort to make it more suitable for the digital age and increase customer protection.

Plenty of deadlines were set, yet the review of the gambling act is yet to be finalized. This wasn't that unexpected considering that lawmakers acknowledged that the review is expected to deliver a "significant change." With that in mind, everyone involved in the process is aware that the review involves many parties and it is important to be completed in the best way possible.

Now, a new report reveals that UK's new PM, Rishi Sunak, shows support for tough regulation in an effort to "fix the catastrophe of online gambling." The report was released by The Times on Saturday and reveals that Sunak is "poised to resurrect plans to curb online gambling."

Among the regulations that are likely to be implemented is tougher age verification. The review is after implementing more robust age verification. Ultimately, age verification is expected to prevent individuals under age 18 from gambling.

What's more, the recent report reveals that betting limits and affordability checks can also be expected. The government will likely introduce betting limits for online slots that are expected to be between £2 and £5 per bet for slot games. However, customers who can afford to spend more on gambling may be able to bet more.

The aforementioned affordability checks are planned to be "non-intrusive." What's known so far is that those checks will likely seek to confirm whether gamblers can afford to place bets and combat "unsustainable losses." With that in mind, the exact methodology of the affordability screening is yet to be confirmed. Amid the changes, the UK is expected to also establish a Gambling Ombudsman. The ombudsman will play a key role when it comes to different disputes or protecting customers.

Surprisingly, the gambling sponsorships for Premier League clubs may not be impacted by the new regulation. If indeed the outcome of the gambling review leaves the betting sponsorships, it is likely to face disapproval from MPs who have previously spoken against the activity.

Although it is yet to be finalized, the review of the Gambling Act gained some traction. Still, this marked a small but important step, considering that previously no progress was made since Boris Johnson's resignation.

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