UKGC Could Slash Max Bets to £2 at Online Casinos

The UK Gambling Commission is once again causing waves in the online casino world with its recent announcement and possible law changes.

In an attempt to heavily regulate how gamblers spend their cash when playing at online casinos, the UKGC has announced that they are considering slashing maximum bets to only £2.

This minimal max bet is already in effect at land-based casinos throughout the UK as of April 2019. But is this a step too far in hand-holding the UK gambling population?

 UK Members of Parliament Call for Sticker Gambling Laws

At the end of 2019, the UKGC was called out by British MPs for not fully protecting “vulnerable” players who spend their time and money at online casinos.

The Gambling Related Harm All-Party Parliamentary Group called upon the UKGC to make changes to gambling laws including the ability to play with credit cards and setting betting limits.

Iain Duncan Smith, vice-chairman of the group, said:

“For too long, online gambling operators have exploited vulnerable gamblers to little or no retribution from the regulator. We cannot continue to fail vulnerable gamblers.”

“I, therefore, urge the Commission to look into this issue in greater depth. It is outrageous that there are not stake limits online, that gamblers are still able to gamble using credit cards online and that operators are able to continue to offer inducements to the vulnerable without proper sanction.”

The UKGC is obviously listening to these cries for stricter laws as online casinos in the UK will no longer offer credit card deposits as an option in April 2020.

 Protecting Players or the Rise of the Nanny State?

As the UKGC has now released that they are considering setting a limit to the maximum bets allowed at online casinos, many wonder how far is too far.

A UKGC spokesperson commented on the announcement, saying:

"We said last October we would be looking at online stake limits as part of our ongoing work to reduce the risks of gambling-related harm. This work is in addition to us focusing on VIP practices, advertising technology and game design. We will publish our assessment and next steps for online stakes and further protections later this year."

While protecting vulnerable players is a noble cause, what about those who are not vulnerable and are fully capable of playing responsibly? Are players with more than enough disposable income not able to make their own decisions with regards to how much they’d like to bet on their favourite casino games?

Thanks to the restriction of credit card deposits, the UKGC is now not able to use that handy resource and potentially create a smarter way to determine who should be limited.

These extreme changes will affect players and operators alike, but how far is the UKGC willing to go to limit potential gambling harm? And the real question remains: How long will players wait before simply playing illegally in another country?