UK Government to ban VIP schemes as part of the Gambling act review

This blanket ban will be the foundation of a White Paper when concluding the Gambling Act review in the UK later this year

During the latest outcome of the 2005 Gambling Act review, the UK Government Ministers are said to be targeting sports betting operators and reports say that the body will be clamping down on VIP schemes operators use to lure gamblers on their site. When asked to give a stance, the Government remarked that this act is seen as an “immoral” practice and thus used to encourage problem gambling.

A Spokesman for DCMS remarked, “The consultation on the Gambling Act Review closed in March, and we are carefully considering responses that provided evidence and views including those on advertising practices.”

So far we only have indications of this going to force as the government will release a white paper with all that has been concluded later on this year and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) neither denied nor confirmed that the Government would be banning the VIP scheme.

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith confirmed that a ban on VIP schemes was long overdue and was only being used to groom people to gamble more an “atrocious abuse, forcing people into debt.”

The Betting and Gaming Council is perceiving this measure as a tough one if the bill goes through and observed that “The BGC, working with the Gambling Commission, has already taken tough action on VIP accounts, including the introduction of a strict new code of conduct which has seen the number of players enrolled reduced by 70%.” The council noted that with the tough measures the regulator took last year the number of VIP accounts already resulted in a 70% decrease.

Conclusions from a media report claim that the UK Ministers have already reached a consensus on this decision.

If you’re into sports-betting news, check out this feature about Denise Coates, CEO of Bet365.

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