A BBC reporter self-excluded themselves as part of an undercover investigation into gambling venues. They were then allegedly allowed to play the slots across four out of the five Adult Gaming Centres (AGCs) they visited in Portsmouth, England.
If found to be true, this would constitute a significant breach of the UKGC’s player protection policies, where if a player self-excludes with an AGC, they would then have to have their rights revoked to enter other venues within a 1km radius, possibly even more if they choose to extend that distance.
As part of the UK’s licensing regime, AGCs can either join SmartExclusion or the self-exclusion scheme run by industry trade body Bacta. Licensing permits for brick-and-mortar casinos are handed out by local authorities, which then perform regular assessments of the venue’s responsible gambling compliance standards.
According to the reporter, two of the venues they visited were allegedly not signed to any of the self-exclusion schemes.
Tim Miller/UKGC
Responding to the BBC, Tim Miller, Director of the UKGC, said: “Most of all, we do need to see inspections of those properties. They’re not onerous, for just checking that [AGCs] are actually doing is what they’re meant to do, and they’re not doing stuff which is marginally illegal.”
An additional comment by a UKGC spokesperson for iGaming Expert read: “We take protecting consumers extremely seriously. The results of this BBC investigation are very concerning, and we will be taking urgent steps to investigate what has happened.”
Local authorities demand more powers
The land-based sector has found itself in the center of a heated debate over the last few months, as local council leaders voiced their concerns that casinos are predominantly present in low-income areas.
In April, a total of 38 councils wrote directly to Lisa Nandy, DCMS Secretary, calling for reforms in gambling regulations that would transfer more powers within the hands of local authorities – particularly when it comes to planning permits of land-based casinos.
Most recently, the London Borough of Brent partnered with think tank Social Market Foundation for an in-depth review of current regulations and a subsequent draft proposal that would highlight potential room for improvement when it comes to protecting vulnerable communities.
