Could Online Poker Be Affected by the UKGC Proposals?

Could Online Poker Be Affected by the UKGC Proposals? March 27, 2018 March 28, 2018 Carolyn J Dawson https://www.poker-online.com/author/carolyn
Posted on  Mar 27, 2018 | Updated on  Mar 28, 2018 by Carolyn J Dawson

uk gambling commission pokerIt was just last week that the United Kingdom Gambling Commission announced its proposals for the country’s gambling sector. These recommendations are meant to enhance protection throughout the UK online gambling market. The question right now is whether or not these recommendations could affect the online poker industry in the country. Furthermore, it’s important to know whether it will affect players around the world who play on a platform that shares a UK database.

Of course, the Gambling Commission is the UK’s regulatory body for everything relating to gambling, and this includes online poker. Its recommendations were released following a comprehensive study of the overall industry. Even though the major focus of this report surrounded fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs), it also could have some impact on online poker. Should this be the case, both operators and players of online poker would see significant implications.

So, what exactly would be the issue? Well, potentially, limitations to maximum bets could be applied to poker wagers. As has been reported at several times, one of the strongest recommendations has been to reduce the maximum bet limit of FOBTs. This would see slot games have a limit imposed, standing at £2 per spin. Meanwhile, the maximum recommended bet for roulette FOBTs would be £30. Despite the fact that there wasn’t anything mentioned about limits on other forms of gambling in the UK, it could spread to poker. This is mainly because there has been a precedent over the years for limits on poker gaming.

For example, when Spain regulated its online gambling sector in 2011, there was a maximum limit applied to big blind in cash games of €10. This was joined by maximum buy-ins for multi-table tournaments and limits on the amount of funds a player can deposit in a single day, week or month. These limits are still something that Spanish poker players have to abide by. So, could this mean that something similar is on its way for UK poker players?

What Implications Could This Have on UK Poker Play?

It’s a lot more possible that the end of play money poker games will come into effect. This is due to the fact that the UK is currently trying to prevent youths from accessing online gambling platforms. The recommendations from the Gambling Commission would mean that online operators need to conduct various due diligence processes before giving players the chance to access any section of their websites.

Should this sort of process also be brought into effect at online poker rooms, then the heavier amount of work involved may see platforms desist in offering play money games. Operators could withdraw free play games altogether, or potentially make it a prerequisite that players have to buy play money chips, instead of offering them such for free.

While these recommendations could have large negative effects on the online poker world in the UK, a couple of others could be quite positive. These include getting rid of reversible withdrawals, the scrapping of wagering requirements and ensuring that online casino and poker operators display clear details about the terms and conditions of promotions.

Carolyn J Dawson is a professional freelance poker writer. She specialises writing content about poker/ bingo / blackjack/ etc. as well as breaking poker news. Carolyn has been freelancing for us over a number of years and writes high quality articles. Visit her google + page here