Stratford is home to one of the largest populations of online gamblers in the United Kingdom.
As such, it’s a great time to come to terms with the newest gambling laws.
Thanks to the Gambling Act of 2005, it is legal for UK residents to gamble.
UK punters love betting on everything including casino games, sports and the Lottery, but did you know, it’s easier than ever to place bets in 2023 thanks to an ever growing number of top quality online casinos and online slot sites.
Current UK Gambling Legislation and Laws
The current UK gambling laws are designed to ensure that UK gamblers only gamble at operators which are regulated by the UK government.
The governmental body responsible for such regulations is the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC).
The UKGC oversees everything gambling related in the UK, including online and offline gambling.
The body has the power to award licences to operators which would like to offer their services to UK gamblers.
It also has the power to issue fines for any operators not adhering to the rules, something which has been a regular occurrence in recent years.
The Minimum Age to Gamble Legally in Salford
You need to be at least 18 to gamble legally in the United Kingdom and therefore in Salford.
All gambling operators, including online operators are legally obliged to ensure that customers are over the age of 18 by requesting ID.
Is Gambling Regulated in the UK?
Yes, all forms of gambling, bar a select few, are fully regulated by the UK government.
The only exceptions to this rule are lotteries, some scratch cards and football pools which have a minimum gambling age in the UK of 16.
Additionally, some arcades which are open to family’s stock 1p, 2p and 10p push machines.
What Does the Government Receive in Return from Operators and Gamblers?
All operators must pay a 15% tax on all profits generated from the UK market.
Additionally, operators must adhere to all of the laws set down by the UKGC or they will be fined for breaking them. Fines can be worth up to millions of pounds.
Gamblers do not need to pay any taxes on their winnings.
Nor do gamblers in the UK need a licence to play. Gamblers only need to produce evidence that they are over 18 and agree to anti-money laundering checks.
However, this may be about to change in 2023 as the government continues to prepare new legislation which may require gamblers to prove that they can afford to gamble by providing operators with bank statements.
New Online Slot Sites Still being Launched by Operators in 2023
Despite the expected regulation changes, dozens of gambling operators are still launching brand new sites online, the most common of which are specialised sites for online slots games.
The newest slot sites in 2023 count in the dozens per month. Many of these are launched by operators which already possess a UKGC licence.
There is no limit to the number of websites a single operator can possess.
The biggest operators such as 888 Holdings own hundreds of different websites.
Unless UK gambling laws are changed, this trend will continue.
Are Gambling Laws Set to Change?
The simple answer to this is that nobody knows.
Whilst it is widely expected that gambling laws will change (this has been the case since 2019), there are still no definite changes planned.
Proposals to reform the Gambling Act have been shelved four times due to the number of new Prime Ministers the UK has had over the past five years.
Advisors to Boris Johnson stated that a white paper was scheduled to go ahead, but a week prior to this, Johnson announced his resignation.
More recently, Rishi Sunak’s team has come out and stated that the government has had to contend with more important situations before they are able to get around to gambling legislation.
However, there have also been multiple reports that Sunak will approve the most stringent of gambling reforms.
What Impact is the Gambling White Paper Likely to Have on Gamblers and Operators?
It is widely expected the new legislation will come down hard on the online gambling industry in particular.
The expectation is that gamblers will be required to prove that they are able to afford to gamble and will have to provide evidence in the form of bank statements to online casinos.
However, polls have concluded that gamblers themselves are hesitant to do this, as they will not want to show their private bank details to gambling operators.
Such regulations are expected to hit the pockets of gambling operators, as it will be likely that customers will spend less money.
Additionally, customers are likely to either stop gambling altogether or only gamble at operators which do not adhere to UK laws – black market operators.
The Dangers of Too Much Regulation
Too many regulations may end up having the opposite effect intended by the increased regulations.
The danger is that gamblers in the UK may end up playing at non regulated gambling operators in order to bypass the bank checks.
