As such, the vast majority of the UK population has at one time or another participated in some form of gambling, online or offline. In fact, legal gambling is still a fairly new phenomenon in the UK.
Gambling regulated in the UK
Participating in such games of chance was actually only allowed for the first time in 1960, when laws were first established regarding this industry. This was laid down in the Betting and Gambling Act. In 1968, by the way, this law was renewed, and with this it was given the name Gaming Act 1968. This arrangement is already closer to the gambling laws as they apply in the UK today. In 2005, the gambling laws were updated again, this time under the name Gambling Act 2005.
How do things stand now?
One more time after this, the laws were renewed in 2014: the Gambling Bill. The latest innovations were mainly necessary due to the steady increase in the number of online gamblers. Thanks to the popularity of the iGaming industry, gambling sites have been constantly updated and improved, and a wide range of new gambling sites have been added. Where previously there was often just one administrator behind such a site, suddenly there was an entire company working to ensure that the gambling site was functioning optimally. All of this once again increased the popularity of online gambling.
Online gambling – the new trend
Of course, this entirely new branch of the gambling world still had to be carefully regulated, so that problems in the way of scams and fraud would be prevented. The new laws from 2014 are therefore slightly stricter than the previous laws from 2005 with regard to online providers. These must now, if they did not already have one, hold a certain UK license. This ensures that both parties (provider and consumer) are better informed of their rights, so that transactions between them are as smooth as possible.
Gambling Commission
Victoria Square House,
Victoria Square,
Birmingham B2 4BP,
United Kingdom
Phone Number: +44 121 230 6666
The Gambling Commission
Of course, even when casinos are properly licensed, they still need to be monitored for their conduct towards their customers. To ensure that the traffic between these two parties is as safe and fair as possible, there is the so-called Gambling Commission. The Commission’s main role is to protect players and ensure that casinos without the proper papers and casinos exhibiting undesirable behavior are closed down.
Checking is important
Are you in the United Kingdom? Then we advise you to only play at casinos that have a Gambling Commission license. Many who visit casinos regularly don’t realize that it’s extremely important to choose a reliable casino. This means that the casino is properly licensed, so you can be sure that you won’t be cheated. Both online and offline there can always be scams and frauds from casinos towards their customers. A reliable and legal online casino has a valid license for every type of service or game it provides. This system of licenses, by the way, can vary quite a bit from country to country.