LONDON, May 16 — Britain plans to introduce a range of liberalising measures for venues like casinos, bingo halls and arcades as part of a plan to boost land-based gambling as it seeks to keep pace with the fast-growing online betting and gaming sector.
The move was aimed at modernising “the outdated and overly restrictive regulations” that apply to land-based gambling, minister Stuart Andrew said in a written statement to lawmakers today.
The government will remove the ban on direct debit card payments on gaming machines as the use of non-cash payments has increased significantly, and introduce appropriate player protections, the statement said.
Advertisement
It also said some casinos would be allowed to offer more machines, while some arcades and bingo halls will be permitted to have a higher number of bigger stake gaming machines.
The changes introduced will also increase the maximum cap on fees authorities can charge for gambling premises licences by 15 per cent, an update to a fee set up that hasn’t been changed since 2007.
“Together we believe these measures will support the land-based gambling sector and modernise the current outdated restrictions, as well as helping to protect young people and supporting licensing authorities,” the government statement said.The proposed changes come a year after the government set out reforms to online gambling , such as new online stake limits and increased affordability checks, to tackle problem gambling. — Reuters
Advertisement
The recent growth of online casino sites in the UK means that popular companies have taken advantage of advances in technology to offer customers the most conve
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said she wants the gambling industry to “thrive” amid rumours of a multi-billion pound “tax raid” on bookies.Earlier th
Sports betting and gaming group Entain (LON: ENT) will face significant headwinds if the UK government considers a potential tax hike on the gambling industry,
The new Labour government has been looking for ways to raise money in order to pay for what they describe as a £22 billion black hole left by the prev