The youth in the United Kingdom has been spending a lot of time playing games on their favorite online casino. Many of them are also frequent visitors to land-based casinos. There’s a big piece of news for these people. The year 2021 will witness a major change. From this year, one will have to be above the age of 18 years to play the UK National Lottery. This is a government mandate and people all across the country will have to abide by it.
About the New Law
Oliver Dowden, the country’s culture minister, informed that the Gambling Act of 2005 was inducted before the advent of smartphones. According to him, it has turned into an analog law and is a complete misfit for this digital age.
Indeed, to date, the current government hasn’t changed the Blaire-era law significantly. However, to make the law slightly more appropriate, they have increased the legal age of playing the UK National Lottery to 18 from 16. The change will take effect from October 2021.
Additionally, the government has also decided to review the country’s gambling laws which are sure to impact every online casino.
You Might See More Changes in the Coming Months
During the final quarter of 2020, government officials and ministers decided to consider prohibiting betting firms from sponsoring sports. They also decided to come up with mandates that will impose strict affordability checks on punters. This will ensure that the punters will not lose beyond what they can afford.
You might also see the government introduce a testing regime for the newly launched products. This means you might see the government stop the release of certain gambling games if it is found that those games might make people addicts.
There may even be changes in the role of the Gambling Commission, the country’s regulatory body for everything related to the world of gambling. You might see the introduction of new powers and funding for managing the autonomous parallel market. Gambling operators might get punished despite operating legitimately if they cannot protect the vulnerable players.
Dowden stated that the era of running around in a casino, seaside pier, or racecourse is gone. The gambling industry has undergone a complete metamorphosis and that has happened pretty quickly.
He believes that people who gamble responsibly will not be bothered by all these changes. The changes made in the law will not stop them from enjoying their time in casinos, online or offline. The changes will be made with the sole aim of protecting vulnerable people and children. For people who know how to place a bet safely, the new rules will be highly beneficial.
The BGC (Betting and Gaming Council) has also taken a stand. According to a representative of the gambling lobby group, the upcoming 16-week long review of the country’s present gambling law will only benefit the gambling industry. More and more people will become a part of this industry after knowing that the review and subsequent changes will mark the beginning of the era of safe gambling in the UK.
Things You Can Expect
In an attempt to be too creative some game developers come up with options designed to cause addiction in people. They do so with fraudulent intent. For them, gambling is not a mode of entertainment but is a tool to dupe people. Following the review, no offline or online casino will be allowed to have such games.
Final Words
The above news should be a matter of concern for you only if you are an addict. If you are into gambling just to make your free time more entertaining, you shouldn’t worry about the change in the country’s gambling law.
