New Guidelines in the UK
Just last week many in the online casino industry were criticizing the efforts
of Britain’s new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and his efforts to curb back the
leniency of the previous Prime Minister Tony Blair. But now, just a week later,
the online casinos industry has voluntarily produced a new advertising code that
promotes social responsibility in the industry and a general state of aware from
the internet gambling and betting companies that currently operate and advertise
in the UK.
The Department if Culture Media and Sport expressed concerns last week over the
advertising guidelines that allowed online casino sports betting companies to
advertise during sporting events. And now it seems that other watchdog
organizations have joined in to support tighter controls on the times and types
of online casinos advertisements that can be run on broadcast television. Then
in addition, in a move that only rings more credibility to the internet gambling
companies and the industry as a whole, the online and offline trade bodies also
agreed to the new regulations and wholly supported the new focus on social
responsibility.
A few of the key groups and committees involved in the new regulations include:
Responsibility In Gambling Trust (RIGT), the UK Gambling Commission, GamCare,
Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Broadcast Committee of
Advertising Practice (BCAP). The online casinos industry has grown significantly
over the past few years (much of that expansion was encouraged by former PM
Blair) and for that reason the UK government is still in the process of covering
all of the bases and all of the areas effected by internet gambling.
A few of the new socially responsible guidelines and principles include a 9 pm
starting time for all online casino and land-based gambling advertising, as well
as a focus on now company gambling logos on promotional materials aimed at
children. In addition to this all gambling advertisements will include the link
to a Web site designed at raising the awareness of gambling habits, addiction
and more: gambleaware.co.uk.
|