Recently, a wave of new restrictions has hit the UK gambling industry. These are expected to have a fairly large impact on the way that some of the largest poker providers can do business in the British Isles.
The idea behind the new regulations is to stop casinos and bookmakers from exploiting the weaknesses of gambling addicts and vulnerable potential customers.
The changes took effect on April 2, but with the World Cup it will obviously impact the way in which bookmakers can advertise their business. However, they will impact upon the entire industry. That includes poker operators too.
The new restrictions on advertising are mostly concerned with companies offering their services to problem gamblers and on the way that free bets and bonuses are advertised.
Some of the features of the rules include:
1. Avoiding producing adverts that play on susceptibilities. These might be financial concerns or self-esteem issues.
2. Avoid containing anything that might be considered as exploitative of vulnerable groups.
3. Avoid appealing to children and younger people.
4. A ban on the phrase “bet now”.
5. Limit advertising that suggests a promotion is risk free.
6. Limit advertising that promotes repeat plays.
7. “Money back” promotions must give cash as the return to use that phrase. Bonus cash cannot be offered in the place of real money.
The restrictions issue the kind of adverts shown during live football games or the kind of pop-ups that appear for casinos and bookmakers that seems to offer the world to new players in terms of “free spins” or “risk-free” bets.
This is a strategy commonly used by the Poker operators, where they focused a life-style and offer money back for certain amount of money inserted or for a quantity of spins and so on.
