What You Should Know About Online Bingo Regulations in the UK

Posted by bestoffersbingo on July 23rd, 2012

Online bingo is not just a game for most players in the UK and has become a source of entertainment and social interaction. With the increasing number of high speed internet users, the popularity of the game has skyrocketed in just a few years. Even though bingo is mainly considered fun, it is still regarded as gambling as many games involve real money. This caught the attention of the UK government with the introduction of the Gambling Act in 2005.

With at least three million bingo players within the UK, the online bingo industry is rapidly growing from £600 million. This exponential rise in the number of players and the jackpot value has led the authorities to place numerous regulations to protect the players when playing online bingo. The fast paced excitement of online bingo and large jackpots gave the UK Gambling Commission a lot of factors to consider.

Concerns of the UK Gambling Commission

One of the primary concerns for the gambling commission was to prevent online crime and keep vulnerable parties, especially children, safe from theft. Unlike a conventional bingo hall, online bingo sites had significant potential in terms of unfair gaming. To gain licensing in the UK, online casinos and bingo halls are required to prove that their games cannot be tampered with and offer unbiased gaming. Credit card fraud is another concern for the commission and casinos are now required to adopt safe methods of transaction and are not allowed to divulge private information to third parties with prior notice or permission.

The sites should also disclose all details of bonuses, promotions and prices to allow players to make an informed decision. To prevent instances of money laundering by online casinos, bingo sites are asked to present their financial records for a regular and thorough inspection by neutral parties. To prevent compulsive gambling, the gambling commission has asked UK bingo sites to encourage responsible gambling by posting educational content geared towards players.

Protecting online bingo players

Ensure that you are at least eighteen years of age to play online bingo in the UK. To protect younger and inexperienced players from undue harassment and solicitation, the gambling commission has placed many rules that must be followed by all players. As a significant portion of the players are young women, chatroom rules are enforced strictly. To ensure that only genuinely interested players are part of bingo sites, their identity and other essential information is screened from neutral parties.

About the Author:

Tom Silver is an experienced copywriter who has spent over 6 years focusing on a variety of subjects including the online gaming industry which includes online bingo, free bingo, Poker and Casino games.