British lawmakers want to give casinos a larger competitive stance against iGaming operators
The UK government, which is still trying to redefine its gambling market after the release last year of the Gambling White Paper, is relaxing regulations for brick-and-mortar gaming venues as the popularity of online gambling continues to rise. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport published a report on May 16 that permits cashless payments for casino, arcade, and bingo games and sets the minimum age to play them to 18.
The proposed regulations would permit businesses to increase the number of gambling machines they operate and raise the maximum licensing fee by 15%. The government recently issued a statement to Reuters about the changes, saying, “Together we believe these measures will support the land-based gambling sector and modernize the current outdated restrictions, as well as helping to protect young people and supporting licensing authorities.”
The increasing usage of gambling apps has given more exposure to online gambling, creating circumstances where “even Skee-Ball is getting the Las Vegas treatment.” Recently, in the US, Dave & Buster’s and Lucra Sports announced then that they were collaborating on a project to add “gamification software” to the Dave & Buster’s app for customers in its loyalty program.
Lucra’s announcement sidestepped using wagering language, calling the software “real-money contests or challenges” that were not subject to the same rules as those of gambling operators. At the time, companies can keep customers’ interest by offering betting opportunities that connect them to rewards exclusive to members.
Under the current regulations, gaming machines can only offer cashless in conjunction with third-party mobile apps and special tickets issued specifically for the machines.
