The Gambling Commission is the main regulatory body of UK gambling. They regulate all kinds of gambling in the country, due to the nature of online slots some feel that they treat them a little differently – check out Wizard Slots.

What is the Gambling Commission? 

The Gambling Commission is an incredibly important regulatory body, it works to ensure that gambling operators are working in a fair environment for players. It was set up as a result of the Gambling Act which was passed in 2005. The Gambling Commission was started in 2007 and it soon became the main body for supervising and regulating gambling in the UK. The Gambling Commission fulfills many roles, it sets standards that potential operators must meet in order to receive a gambling license, something which all casinos will need in order to meet the requirements of the law. The Gambling Commission can also revoke or suspend the license of an operator if they have infringed on any of their rules. They can also get operators to pay members of the public who have been cheated out of winnings. 

What effect do they have on the industry? 

Since its introduction, the Gambling Commission has had a wide reaching effect on the gambling industry as a whole. Many things have had to be altered and even completely changed in order to fit with their regulations. 

•     Advertising is one of the biggest things that has been affected by the Gambling Commission. Heavy regulations have been put in place, with online gambling becoming more and more accessible to people. Thanks to some slot games appealing to children, the Gambling Commission has had to fine and ban some developers for using advertising campaigns which have a broader appeal than expected.  The effect of bitcoin payments is not yet known.
•     The control that the Gambling Commission has on revoking and awarding licenses of venues has led to the industry following their practises much more strictly. Gambling operators are aware that the Gambling Commission can and will penalise any venue which doesn’t meet their standards, no matter how popular they are.

Do they treat online slots differently to real life slots? 

Although real life and online slots try to offer the same experience in terms of gameplay, there are several differences between the two. The Gambling Commission approaches both very differently. 

1. Online slots are usually more heavily regulated than real life slot games due to their accessibility. It is much easier for players to become addicted to online slots than real life slots due to the ease of which people can play them.
2. These regulations usually cover a whole range of things, there have been regulations on the advertising of online slots due to their appeal to children and regulation on the way that people access online slots due to the dangers of addiction. 

Final Thoughts 

The Gambling Commission treats online slots with the same standards as the rest of the UK’s gambling. Arguably, they are a little harsher on online slot games because of their accessibility.