UK licensing consultation closes after strong response
Three-month period for operators to have their say on proposed changes to licensing conditions comes to an end
The UK Gambling Commission has described the consultation on proposed amendments to the licence conditions and codes of practice (LCCP) as “useful”, after the window for responses from the gambling industry closed yesterday.
As part of the amendments, an emphasis will be placed on online operators to ensure their software suppliers are in possession of a UK licence or fall foul of the licensing code, and are expected to be implemented in the shadow of the Gambling Bill next year.
The Commission said it will publish its response to the LCCP consultation in early 2014 while also drafting further operator guidance on what constitutes a software supplier following concerns of ambiguity.
The consultation period opened on 12 September and included Birmingham-held workshops on the proposed changes, which a spokesperson for the Commission told eGaming Review were both beneficial and well-attended.
The Commission has also received a number of written responses from operators and software suppliers.
“Operators and suppliers have so far been very keen to engage with the consultation process and we hope that the written responses are equally as constructive,” the Commission spokesperson said.
“We held a series of workshops during the consultation period, which were well-attended “ and very useful to the Commission. Industry feedback indicates they also found the sessions helpful and we are continuing to talk to the industry on specific issues,” the spokesperson added.
The LCCP amendments have been criticised in some quarters with Phill Brear, commissioner of the Gibraltar Betting and Gambling Commission, accusing them of lacking “coherence” with new arrangements contained within the Gambling Bill.
In relation to the reporting of suspicious betting activity, the LCCP consultation document indicated operators would not be required to notify the Commission of bets involving overseas customers on events taking place outside of the UK.
In written evidence to parliament, Brear argued that this stance could lead to suspicious betting on incidents as such as the Ashes Tour involving foreign bookmakers going unreported.
“While this may not be the intention of the LCCP document, the statement begs the questions whether the Gambling Commission does support the fight against corruption in international sport and to whom its global licensees will report such events,” Brear said.
Meanwhile, the Commission recently extended the consultation on the regulatory returns process from 28 November to 3 January, which eGR understands was due to a low response rate.