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Over the past decade, online gaming has become the face of the worldwide gambling industry. Physical casinos are slowly becoming a thing of the past due to the unprecedented level of convenience offered by online gambling. Gambling enthusiasts can play their favorite casino games from the comfort of their homes on the device of their choice. The advantages of online casino gaming are not limited to player comfort and convenience only. Online casinos also offer tons of unique gaming options with the latest digital technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and more.
Although online gambling is a global industry and not limited to just one or two countries, it is the United Kingdom that set the standards for online gaming that have been followed by other countries in defining their gambling laws and regulations. The United Kingdom is home to some of the biggest and best online casinos and gambling websites that cater to hundreds of thousands of customers each day. While the gambling laws in the United Kingdom might be considered strict by some, they have been the blueprints for gambling regulations throughout the world.
The United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) Regulations
The United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) is the official authority that regulates gambling and related activities within the United Kingdom. The UKGC has introduced several laws over the years to make gambling safe for legal adults of all ages. Naturally, the UKGC makes laws for the UK online casinos besides the physical or land-based casinos.
One of the most important steps the UKGC has taken over the past few decades is to introduce a range of comprehensive laws that target player protection or responsible gaming. Responsible gaming refers to the use of digital tools and legal limitations to make gambling safer for players. In the coming years, UK online casino websites are expected to rise in popularity even further and make it possible for players to access the best and the latest live casino games.
Gamstop in the UK Casinos
All online casinos in the United Kingdom that are registered with the UKGC come under the umbrella of Gamstop. Gamstop is a service provided by the UKGC to help gambling addicts healthily deal with their problem gambling. Players who struggle with problem gambling can register themselves on this service and specify a duration for which they want to distance themselves from online casino gaming.
Once activated, this temporary self-exclusion option limits players from accessing any UK online casino website for the duration they mentioned while signing up. Distancing from all online casinos is a good step towards recognizing and analyzing your gambling addiction and taking effective measures to stop before it is too late. Gamstop is a revolutionary service and an industry standard for online gambling addiction prevention throughout the world.
To date, there have been no services comparable to Gamstop within the gambling industry. Although players can still access Non-UK or independent casino websites despite an active Gamstop restriction, this option for self-exclusion is officially supported by the UKGC for optimum player safety and can be accessed free of cost.
The Future of UK Casino Gaming
Online gambling in the United Kingdom is going to be revolutionized within the coming decade, thanks to the latest technologies like AI, VR, AR, etc. More and more online casino websites are adopting these technologies within their website infrastructure to provide better services to customers and increase customer return rates at online casino websites.
In this regard, the United Kingdom is setting new standards by being one of the most receptive countries towards emerging technologies like blockchain and cryptocurrency.