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UKGC Kicks Feature Buys To The Curb
By Shane Addinall Oct 18, 2019 IndustryThe UKGC alters their stance on ‘feature buying’ on games at online casinos, as it elevates the risk posed to players because of the excessive wager price for each round, often exceeding 50 to 100x stake.The UK Gambling Commission has built a rather notorious name for themselves when it comes to their strict approach towards gambling regulation.
They have made no apologies for their regular changes to the gambling climate in the country, citing the fact that their primary objective is to safeguard the citizens of Great Britain against any potential threats from gambling activities.
Their latest move has been against buying features when playing slot games at online casinos, a move that will most probably upset a chunk of the market, especially high stakes players, who often play features only.
Never the less, they have approached casino operators, demanding that these features not be offered to British players. This could prove a real challenge to some game studios, where the features have been hardcoded into the game. It would result in an entire re-write of the game to placate the licenser.
What Is The Subject Of Attention?
There is a growing number of slots that have adopted the feature buy option. This offers the players of qualifying slots to pay a price to trigger the main feature of the game (normally free spins) without actually having to play the game. Instead, they can opt to pay between 50x and 100x stake to buy the feature. It ultimately provides a shortcut for high stakes players to cut straight to the most exciting part of the game.
A number of prominent games make use of this feature. The brand new Booming Pirates from Microgaming is one such slot. Many of the Megaways branded slots by BluePrint Gaming and BTG also offer this feature, such as Extra Chilli Megaways, White Rabbit Megaways, Medusa Megaways, and Vikings Unleashed Megaways, to name a few.
Why, Oh Why, The Feature Buy?
The Gambling Commission is never slow in restricting play if they think that certain features or functions may cause players to spend excessively online. In 2018, the UKGC mercilessly chopped the maximum stake on fixed-odd terminals down to £2, from a hefty £100.
Other proposed bans on the books at the moment include the possibility of cutting out credit cards as a form of paying for online gambling, as playing on credit is dangerous for players, according to the regulator.
So, why does the ‘feature buy’ have to go? Well according to the UKGC, the price to play the features is way too high. It amounts to excessive betting, which can lead to players spending large sums of money in a single round. For example, where the total stake is £20 in a game, a player could easily spend £2,000 for one round of Free Spins.
Where To From Here?
One thing that can be said of the UK Gambling Commission, is that they sure do reap results. Many of their initiatives work well to limit the spending of Brits. While players might think that the UKGC can be a real thorn in their side at times, they should be grateful that the government has chosen to merely restrict gambling practices, rather than ban them altogether, like so many countries around the world have done.
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