UK Gambling Commission suspends operator

Great Britain’s Gambling Commission (GBGC) has decided to suspend an operator for failing to failing to participate in a gambling harm reduction initiative.

The operator, Wyke Gaming & Amusement Centre, is based in Hanover Square, in the northern English city of Bradford.

According to the release by the GBGC, Wyke Gaming & Amusement Centre, “failed to participate in a multi-operator self-exclusion scheme – an initiative allowing people who feel they are struggling with their gambling to self-exclude from one or more adult gaming centres in their area.”

The investigative action carried out by the GBGC found that the operator was “not compliant with section 172(1) of the Gambling Act, which sets out that Category B gaming machines must not exceed 20 per cent of the total number of gaming machines which are available for use on the premises.”

The suspension of the gaming entity’s license remains indefinite according to the GCGB. The UK regulator firmly stated that the premises will only be able to open again if they deem they can “verify that the Licensee’s facilities are operating compliantly.”

In other UK Gambling Commission news, there has been further progress on a pilot aimed at financial risk checks. These checks would ensure that those most vulnerable and in need of support could be identified through signs of problem gambling or financial peril.

Commission Director of Major Policy Projects Helen Rhodes said the Commission aims to build on the “staged approach to the pilot.” She continued, “We will now further explore data consistency across credit reference agencies, as well as how to support operators to identify the severity of financial difficulties that a customer may be experiencing and how they could support these customers.”

Stage three of the pilot is due to come to a close at the end of summer 2025, with the fourth stage to be prepared. The next part of the pilot would look to have accessible and practical applications for the measures to be applied.

Featured image credit: Pexels

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