Casinoplusbonus EN investigates the latest bans in the UK targeting affiliate online gambling sites and non-UKGC online gambling platforms. (Image courtesy of icetrayimages794410 on Vecteezy)
The UGKC has been working with Google and other search engines to take down online gambling sites that do not hold a UKGC licence and directly advertise platforms to players in the United Kingdom.
This action is part of a previous news report here on Casinoplusbonus EN – UKGC to Block Black Market Gambling.
To clarify, if you are a UK player, the Casinplusbonus team ‘DOES NOT RECOMMEND’ signing up for any online casino or sportsbook ‘NOT’ operating under the UK Gambling Commission’s licensing framework.
Side note: Dear UKGC, we don’t want to be banned; this is just a news report to let UK players understand the situation. We are on your side!
The Story
Any affiliate websites advertising non-UK-regulated gambling or those with no UKGC licence are being picked out by the country’s gambling licensing authority, reported to Google, and banned from UK searches.
On top of this, online gambling platforms advertising non-Gamstop and non-UKGC services are being wiped off Google searches. We’ve seen a couple of sites removed, like LCB and Demoslot. Still, they have since recovered after presumably complying with the UKGC’s strict rule – ‘If you want to advertise online casino to UK players, they must have UKGC licensing.’
UK Casino Player Notice: At Casinoplusbonus EN, we only recommend online casinos operating under the UKGC to our UK readership. We also keep you up-to-date on the latest gambling laws and rules via our UK casinos portal.
New Rule is Part of the White Paper UK Gambling Reform
The UK’s ‘White Paper Gambling Reform’ aims to create a safer gambling environment for UK citizens. The main goal is to target problem gambling.
The goal of the reform to ban websites advertising or offering non-GamStop or non-UKGC casinos is to tackle key issues:
- The rise in cryptocurrency casino gambling: Online gambling platforms operating under the UKGC do not offer crypto gambling. Due to the non-existence of crypto betting in the country, there has been a rise in affiliate sites partnering with non-UKGC online gambling sites to send UK players to non-UKGC crypto casino sites.
- Lifetime GamStop Bans: Another key issue is that players who have used GamStop to ban themselves from gambling online for life have no access to UKGC casinos. Placing a lifetime ban on one UKGC gambling platform means they are effectively banning themselves from all UKGC online gambling platforms, and so the workaround has been to seek out non-GamStop casinos.
In both instances, many of these gambling sites do not offer the correct, responsible gambling tools. Secondly, those at risk from gambling addiction who have banned themselves for life using self-exclusion can sign up for these non-UKGC casinos and put themselves at risk because there are no restraints on these websites to prevent problem gambling.
With these two issues at large, the UK’s white paper gambling reform has given the UKGC the power to push through its agenda to ban affiliate and online casino and sportsbooks from Google search and have these sites’ IP addresses and website names blocked by Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
Legal Chargebacks – Non-UKGC Casinos Stopped Accepting UK Players
A rule in place for several years in the UK is that players can legally issue a chargeback if they accidentally sign up to an online gambling platform not operating under the UKGC licensing framework.
This created quite a conundrum for non-UKGC casinos because quite a few players abused this system. They would lose trying their luck at these casinos and then file a complaint with their bank making an excuse – ‘It was available on Google, so I thought it was legit‘.
Crypto Casinos Rose to the Occasion
Although the UK authorities cleverly made the move to allow players to request chargebacks after losing money at non-UKGC casinos, once crypto became more mainstream, this caused another issue.
As cryptos have no intermediary, i.e., no bank, there can be no chargeback. This nullified the UKGC’s clever chargeback rule and put non-UKGC and non-gamstop online casinos back on the map. However, it has also put these casinos in the firing line over the course of the UK’s White Paper gambling reform, which has resulted in the latest culling of websites offering non-UKGC gambling.
The morale of the story for UK players: Stick to online gambling platforms under the UKGC licensing authority. You have local gambling laws protecting you, and in case of an online casino dispute, there are Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services offering you free legal mediation, and you have the UK legal system behind you.
Catch Up with the UKGC White Paper Gambling Reform News Here On Casinoplusbonus EN
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