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The UK Gambling Commission is the body responsible for licensing and regulating all types of gambling in Great Britain. Abbreviated as UKGC, it was created in 2005, from what became known as Gambling Act 2005 , which limited the basis for licensing and regulating gambling in Britain, both offline and online. It replaces the old Gaming Board, then responsible for these activities.
Online casino operators outside the boundaries of the United Kingdom can also apply for a license from the UK Gambling Commission if it is their desire to promote and offer betting and casino games to British citizens. In this sense, you will often find sites that are doubly licensed: once by the jurisdiction from which they operate, and a second time by the UK Gambling Commission, to be able to legally operate within that region.
Currently, there are already more than a hundred reputable and reliable casinos licensed and regulated by the UKGC. It also regulates the National Lottery ( National Lottery , as it is known in English). It can be said that UKGC is one of the most well-known and respected licensors in the field of online gambling. Having a license from you is already taken as an indication that the site in question can be trusted. In fact, their terms and their licensing process is one of the strictest, if not the strictest of all.
In this guide, learn a little more about the responsible gambling policies of the UK Gambling Commission and its licensing process for online casinos and betting sites. Additionally, here you will find all the sites that have already been evaluated by our team and that have a UKGC license.
History of the United Kingdom Gambling Commission
The UK Gambling Commission makes it legal and licenses gambling games as long as they adhere to the following standards:
- Prevent gambling from being used as a source of crime, associated with crime, or used to sustain crime.
- Ensure that the games are conducted in a fair and transparent manner.
- Protect minors and other vulnerable people from being lured or exploited by the games.
The UK Gambling Commission was created by Gambling Act 2005 to regulate betting and commercial gambling. Additionally, in 2014 the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014 it requires any casino or betting operator wishing to promote or offer its services to British consumers to obtain a UKGC licence in advance.
The body is part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and currently operates across the UK. Its primary purpose is to license operators in the Great Britain region that make betting available, bingo , casino games, online casino games, lottery , arcades and gambling software.
It is the responsibility of the UKGC to regularise all betting sites and online casinos in the UK. It is also your duty to combat illegal activities involving gambling and sports betting. The agency claims to do this transparently and consistently. His focus today is on preventing problems that could pose a potential risk to players.
Licensing process
The licensing process conducted by the UKGC is detailed and thorough, unlike some other bodies we cited in the main article on online gambling licenses.
First of all, the applicant must identify for which activity he wants to be licensed, since there are different types of license. Then you need to fill out a number of forms and documents, seeking help and legal advice to properly submit the application. When considering the suitability of applicants, the UK Gambling Commission considers the following: company identity, financial status, integrity, competence and criminal record history.
All commercial gaming companies that hold a license must obey and follow the legislation in accordance with the terms and codes of Conduct imposed by the UKGC. It is also their responsibility to ensure that licensees understand and are aware of the conditions of their licence, the law and the code of conduct. Within this approach, the type of activity that the organ conducts is:
- Conduct assessments.
- Grant guides to licensed companies.
- Take preventive or corrective actions.
- Impose or vary additional conditions for the license.
- Evaluate financial information.
The UK Gambling Commission can also revoke licences already issued, investigate cases of illegal gambling and issue fines to offenders. He is also responsible for advising local and national government on matters related to gambling. The UKGC only issues online gaming licenses to operators who intend to set up their business in the UK, as well as to those who intend to offer their services to British citizens.
Types of license
The UK Gambling Commission differentiates online casinos lotteries and betting sites. Therefore, it also establishes different regulations for each of them. It assumes that all gambling is illegal if not operated by properly licensed companies that are complying with the imposed determinations.
Depending on the business, companies will need to apply for two or more types of license. The different types of licence offered in the UK are as follows:
- License to operate casino games;
- license to operate bingo games;
- general license for betting;
- license for bolão type bets ( pool betting );
- license to operate lottery games;
- license for intermediary betting operation.
Player protection and responsible gaming
Fortunately, the UKGC has a number of ways to ensure player protection and responsible gambling. The agency works so that games, services and products are offered in a responsible manner, so that users and players understand what they are consuming.
On the UK Gambling Commission's own official website, the user finds a series of guides on how the body deals with player protection and on responsible gambling. A good example is their page on what to look for on a website before you start betting. There, the UKGC recommends (as we recommend in all our articles and reviews) that the user look for the company's license before making a registration and betting. It is only possible to ensure that you are betting on a secure site if it is licensed.
In addition, there you can find material on how to avoid falling for fraud and scams, material for parents on how to keep minors away from gambling, important information about the data you share online, ways to stay safe while playing online, among other things. However, this content is all in English.
If you are not fluent in the language and still want to find relevant content about online games in Portuguese, New ZealandCasinos offers several game guides, information about responsible gambling , online casino reviews and website and game recommendations.
If you are going to bet on a casino or betting site licensed by the UKGC, you can ensure that the license presented on the site is valid by visiting the official website of the body. There you will be able to see what types of activities the company is licensed for, as well as all the actions already taken by the body. If no action appears listed, this means that the UKGC has not yet identified misconduct. The license presented on the betting site or casino should, in theory, direct the player to the UKGC page.
In February and May 2018, the UK Gambling Commission fined two large companies for failing to properly prevent money laundering and for producing misleading advertisements.
Conflict resolution
Unfortunately, currently the UK Gambling Commission does not address complaints from users of sites licensed by the entity. In the same way, he does not act as a mediator in resolving conflicts. On the other hand, all sites licensed by the UKGC are required to have procedures in place to deal with user complaints and for disputes that cannot be resolved to be directed to an independent and impartial third party entity.
The UK Gambling Commission may review closed or ongoing disputes and cases to assess how the company is handling complaints from users and players.
Likewise, it is not responsible for offering legal advice to players and casino operators. It only provides information on current legislation and its approach to gaming.
Casinos licensed by the UK Gambling Commission
New ZealandCasinos regularly tests, evaluates and rates online casinos, betting sites and lottery sites that accept New Zealand players. Therefore, we can make lists such as best poker sites , best casinos, and so on. Because we've gathered a lot of information about these sites, we also know which ones are licensed, which ones deserve your trust, and which ones don't.
Active since 2005, the UKGC has licensed a number of online casinos and gaming sites. To see the full list, you can visit the official website of the entity. Below you will find all the online casinos we have reviewed that are regulated by the UK Gambling Commission.
(New Zealand lawyer, 36 years experience)
Read and approved: July 23
Updated: July 23
Joseph Kelly is the legal advisor of the creativegiants.co.nz the content of the website has been reviewed and is in accordance with current New Zealand legislation.
The informative and educational content of this portal complies with New Zealand legislation.
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