Gambling support charity GamCare is lobbying the government to rethink proposed changes to the rules for electronic gaming machines (EGMs) at land-based gaming venues in the UK.
The entity argues that relaxing limits on the number of machines would increase the possibility of damage.
Changes suggested by the UK government propose allowing large casinos to increase their EGM capacity to 80. While smaller venues would be allowed up to 20.
And it also intends to review the 80/20 ratio on high-stakes gaming machines versus low-stakes machines.
The land-based gaming industry claims a 50/50 ratio for gaming machines would allow venues to meet customer demand and high energy costs.
However, GamCare suggests that the proposed changes would create more chances for harm. The group said high-risk EGMs “present a greater risk of quickly losing significant sums of money.”
It cited statistics from the Gambling Commission showing that EGMs generated £1.8 billion in gross gaming income from just 7% of the gaming population in 2022.
GamCare supports introduction of mandatory age verification
The charity said it supports proposals to introduce mandatory age verification for customers using machines and for time and spending limits.
“We welcome many of the proposals from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to strengthen the protection of players in the land-based gaming sector”, stated in a note published by GamCare.
“The proposals to introduce time and monetary limits on gambling, increase card account verification, alert staff when mandatory limits are reached and restrict access to category D (low stakes) machines to under-18s, represent a step in the right direction towards protecting players”
“As the government contemplates its next steps, we will persist in advocating for more robust and consistent protections for players, both in the land-based and broader sectors.”
