Updates from both the Gambling Commission and DCMS on White Paper proposals

Over the last two days, both the Gambling Commission and Government have issued updates following consultations sent out regarding the White Paper.

Financial Risk: next steps February 2024

Firstly Tim Miller, executive Director of Research and Policy, published an update on the Gambling Commissions next steps for financial risk checks to help tackle gambling harms.

The Gambling Commission are proposing to introduce a ‘Frictionless, light touch financial vulnerability checks’ after listening to the responses from their consultation.

The implementation of this will be done via a pilot scheme, followed by an initial higher threshold to ensure a smooth transition for operators, before reducing to the lower threshold later in the year.

The full mechanics and exact threshold numbers the Commission propose to use are yet to be finalised.

The blog from Mr Miller can be seen here.

New £2 maximum stake for under 25s playing online slots

The second update comes from DCMS and the Rt Hon Stuart Andrew MP.

This update from the Government follows a 10-week consultation period, where the Government state that the majority of the 15,000+ respondents agreed with the proposal in the White Paper.

The proposal is that a split age limit will be set for online slot games from September. A maximum £2 for 18-24 year olds will be set, and a £5 limit for adults aged 25 and over.

The introduction of this will require secondary legislation, and a six week transition period will be implemented to allow operators a smooth change over, with a further six weeks for development of necessary technical solutions.

The full update from DCMS can be seen here.