Betting and Gaming Council welcomes new online slot controls

Earlier today (2 February), the Commission set out a series of measures that will apply to all licensed operators active in the British market.

Among the new rules are permanent bans on reverse withdrawals, autoplay options and slot games with spin speeds faster than 2.5 seconds.

Also prohibited will be features that speed up play or give the illusion of control over the outcome, and sounds or imagery that give the impression of a win when the return is equal to or below a stake.

The measures, developed in response to a consultation that began in July of last year, must be implemented by all licensees by 31 October this year.

BGC chief executive Michael Dugher said the new rules match the organisation’s ethos of driving change and promoting safer gambling among licensed operators.

“We welcome the announcement, which builds on the BGC’s new code of conduct from last September for the design of online games in a bid to further improve player safety,” Dugher said.

Dugher also noted that BGC members have already introduced some of the rules set out by the Commission, including slowing down spin speeds and banning certain gaming features.

“Among the major commitments we have already introduced are minimum game cycle speeds of 2.5 seconds, the ending of turbo play, which allows players to speed up games, and the scrapping of multi-slot play, where a player can place multiple stakes on different games at the same time,” Dugher said.

“We are also progressing a game labelling project which will improve labelling of games in order to educate players on key game characteristics.”