UKGC invites third round of consultation on fairer gaming machines

Gambling Commission Executive director Tim Miller has had a large input on the White Paper

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has announced the launch of the latest round of consultation designed to improve the safety and fairness of gambling in the country. 

This is the third round of consultation, launched following the release of the 2023 Gambling Review White Paper, and will specifically consider new standards and licensing for gaming machines and for the amendment of existing standards. The consultation invitation states that the changes are designed to improve customer enjoyment as well as fairness.

The consultation period opens today, 29 January 2025, and runs for 16 weeks; closing on 20 May. The commission is "inviting consumers, gambling businesses and other interested groups ”to join the consultation and share evidence to help measure the impact of regulations as well as the associated costs. 

This is the third consultation of its kind, which has arisen as a result of the 'high stakes: gambling reform for the digital age' White Paper published as part of the 2023 Gambling Act Review. 

The previous consultation discussing deposit limits, free bets, fund protection initiatives and RET levies, ended in February 2024. The Commission is currently undertaking a review of the discussions and will publish its findings in due course. 

This most recent consultation will address gaming machines and look at ways to improve fairness and enjoyment for players. The White Paper specifically suggested:

• The introduction of five standards as well as a licence condition and social responsibility code. These provisions aim to improve the game machine safety at every stage of the process.
• The amendment of three standards to improve customer enjoyment.
• The consolidation of 12 existing standards to create a single standard. The new standard should be formatted to match existing remote gambling standards.
• The updating of technical and testing standards to ensure they are up to date.

The White Paper was published in April 2023 under the Sunak government. Presented by the secretary of state for culture, media, and sport, Lucy Frazer, the report highlighted ways to bring existing policies up to date to account for changes in the gambling industry since previous policies were written at the turn of the century. 

The paper covered proposed improvements to enhance online safety, changes to marketing and advertising and amendments to the UKGC’s powers. There was also a section dedicated to land-based gambling.

The first consultation concluded in July 2023 and looked at marketing and advertising. Proposals were made to require explicit opt-in permission for direct marketing along with improvements to age-verification procedures. 

Proposed changes to remote games included a ban on auto-play features for all games as well as a minimum play time of two point five seconds for slots and poker and five seconds in between each game for non-slots and non-poker titles. Online games would also be prohibited from offering simultaneous play on multiple games.  

While announcing the latest consultation process, UK Gambling Commission executive director Tim Miller said: “The White Paper sets out that a top priority is ensuring that gambling happens safely. We share this commitment and today’s consultation proposes how we could implement gaming machine changes in the land-based sector.” 

To learn more, visit our responsible gambling page which also offers resources and advice on where to seek help if needed.