UK gambling expert Jean Prince from SlotsHawk.com has warned of the dangers of too much regulation in the industry. In an interview with UKNIP, Prince was quoted stating that too much regulation would end up having the opposite of the desired effect. Prince said:
“If punters are restricted from being able to play whenever they want, you better believe that they will simply head on over to a gambling operator which does not have to adhere to such restrictions.”
For the past two years, the British government has been looking into how they can make the online gambling sphere safer. They intend to update the 2005 Gambling Act, which was created before the advent of online casinos. The plan is to bring the Gambling Act ‘into the digital age’.
However, many commentators have now suggested that there is a danger that restrictions can go too far. Rather than protect the player, they can put the player in danger, as Jean Prince explains:
“What they don’t seem to understand is that if you tighten regulations too much, you will actually put in danger those you are wishing to protect.
“If a punter would like to bet more than £200 per month but the government is stopping them from doing so, they will find ways around this.
“The most obvious way being that the punter will play at an unregulated gambling site, whether that’s a casino or a sports book.”
According to the most recent government White Paper surrounding online gambling, there are plans to limit the amount of money 18-24 year olds can bet. This could include limiting them to spending a maximum of £200 per month, as well as restricting their slot machine spending to between £2 and £4 per spin.
Whilst it is understandable to see the government make an effort to protect younger gamblers, there is a lot of criticism that such gambling laws are reminiscent of a nanny state.
Jean Prince is adamant that there are more than enough safe gambling tools around in 2023, he says:
“There are plenty of safety tools which are widely accessible to all. GAMSTOP especially is a marvellous tool which allows players to sign up and, if need be, ban themselves from being able to play at all UKGC licensed casinos.
“Therefore, from this perspective, the whole sphere has never been safer from gambling related harm.”
Prince goes on to explain how problem gambling in the UK is at an all time low:
“Unfortunately, that narrative is that gambling, online gambling especially, is a danger to society. In reality, gambling is enjoyed by millions of Brits and the percentage of problem gamblers is at a record low.”
Based on our own research, all new UK slots sites at SlotsHawk adhere 100% to all safer gambling regulations and responsible gambling laws.
As a matter of fact, in order for any online gambling operator to offer their services to UK punters, they must have a licence from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). A UKGC licence is one of the hardest in the world to receive and all UKGC licensed operators are deemed among the safest online spaces in the world to gamble at.
Speaking about SlotsHawk, Prince said:
“Our main objective is to provide slots players with as much correct information as possible.
“We want our audience to play the best slots available to them which is why we are so keen to supply them with the info on the slots with the highest payouts and return to player levels.”
