The Interactive Gaming Council (IGC), an international trade association comprised of I-gaming operators, software suppliers and e-commerce providers, is one of several organizations that responded to the U.K. Gambling Commission's request for consultation on the draft version of its Statement of Principles on Licensing and Regulation.
The commission in October published the document laying out the key values and principals it will apply under the Gambling Act of 2005. Part of the document deals with procedural issues about which final decisions had not been made and for which public consultation was necessary.
Among some of IGC's most noteworthy suggestions on the procedural issue:
- The commission should consider different licensing levels for parties besides operators that can impact games. The IGC also notes that a game could comprise the nucleus for several differently named games but still use the same determination software, and licensees should not be expected to pay multiple times for what is essentially the same game. The IGC also suggests there be no duplicative or restrictive cost to an operator if a game has already been approved by a different recognized jurisdiction.
- On the issue of developing a standard for age and identity verification for overseas players, the IGC recommends that requirements remain consistent for all players so that a double standard is not created. In this regard and in many others, the IGC stresses the importance of realizing the global nature of the Internet and the borderless world of remote gambling.
- Again referring to the global nature of the Internet, the IGC notes that the commission cannot ignore the fact that if it accepts revenue from offshore customers then it also potentially exports social problems. Operators also must not ignore disputes with players who are offshore; the IGC suggests a working the commission establishes a working group to interact with regulators in other jurisdictions.
- The IGC also seeks more cooperation with other international trade groups. The submission reads, "To reinvent wheel only for U.K. licensees would miss a great opportunity internationally to raise the caliber of remote gambling regulation, to move towards consistency and mutual recognition across jurisdictions, and to generally increase the probity and public respect for this form of gambling."
- With regard to the commission's goal of preventing crime, the IGC points out that the gambling providers must also be protected from crime, such denial of service issues and other high-tech crimes that can affect any form of e-commerce.
The commission ended its public consultation period on its Statement of Principals on Licensing and Regulation on Jan. 27.
Click here to view the IGC's Submission for the U.K. Statement of Principals on Licensing and Regulation.