Following further actions taken in anticipation of the long-awaited gambling reform whitepaper this year, the UK Gambling Commission has announced the implementation of new licensing system for gambling operators.
At present, the existing arrangement assigns an account manager to each operator. The accelerating growth of the gambling market, however, has prompted the Gambling Commission to rework the UK online casino system to better handle the demand of applicants.
This new system is now made up of four sub-groups that each handle specific aspects of gambling license application and management:
- the Operating Licence New Group is intended to process the applications of new operators;
- the Operating Licence Vary Group handles changes in the licences of existing operators;
- the Change of Corporate Control Group will be responsible for assisting operators with changes in ownership and control; and
- the Personal Licence Group handles applications for personal licenses.
“We are changing our working practices to make the best use of our resources," the Gambling Commission wrote in a statement explaining the change. "By working in this way, we hope to be able to process applications more quickly. We also hope to be able to resolve queries more efficiently and effectively."
The Commission has indicated that the existing application process will still stay the same despite the changes to the general licensing system. However, applications made through post will be phased out.
The announcement comes shortly after the Commission released new recommendations to new casino operators regarding the protection of customers earlier in the year. The new regulations concerning high-risk consumers were published in April, and it is anticipated that they will begin to be enforced on September 12, 2022.
