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GamCare has encouraged the UK Government to revise its proposed policy on changes related to EGMs, within land-based gambling venues, in order to protect players.
As well as requesting changes to regulations regarding EGMs, GamCare has also been advocating for clarity surrounding cash-out machines and age restrictions, as well as challenging cashless payments.
According to Gambling Commission Industry Statistics, in 2022, EGM’s generated £1.8bn ($2.19bn) in gross gambling yield (GGY) for the UK gambling industry. Furthermore, it was also reported that 7% of the total gambling population play EGMs.
In its report, GamCare stated its justifications for its proposed revision by saying: “EGMs can be both addictive and present an increased risk of losing more money, more quickly.”
The Department for Culture, Media and Sports has proposed that, to protect players from harm, there should be: time and monetary limits to play, staff alerts when limits are hit, heightened card account verification and restricted access to low stake machines for under 18s; all of which GamCare has welcomed.
However, GamCare is concerned because its users have reported that some of the proposals may increase gambling-related harms, such as the increased amount of EGMs now permitted.
In response to the proposal, GamCare has stated the following: “Increasing the number of EGMs will increase gambling harm due to the higher stakes, and there needs to be stronger play protections in land-based gambling premises, cashless payments are often associated with increased spend on land-based gambling when compared to cash therefore there should be spending limits and card verification required for every transaction.”
Lastly, GamCare believes that ‘cash-out’ machines are unclear, that they are age-restricted and can create a gateway to gambling harm from a young age.
