The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has started to issue warnings to operators about free-to-play games. As reported, the Commission urges operators to assure that affiliate partners don’t offer F2P games without age confirmation.
According to the License Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP), remote licensees provide access to players if they are over 18 years old. The UK regulator observed that remote operators could profit from offering free-to-play products without age verification required.
Details
The current Social Responsibility Code 1.1.2 prescribes that operators are responsible “for the actions of third parties contracted to support their activities in the market.“ On the other hand, third parties should “conduct themselves in so far as they carry out activities on behalf of the licensee as if they were bound by the same license conditions and subject to the same codes of practice as the licensee.”
It means that any operator which uses affiliate partners to offer F2P games without age verification breaches license conditions.
The UKGC stated:
“You should take steps immediately to ensure that your free-to-play games cannot be accessed by children and young people via affiliate’s websites.”
Further explanations
UK Gambling Commission reformulated prior declaration. It reminds that updated requirements don't apply to screenshots and video games which could be available on affiliate websites. In addition, B2B suppliers which offer F2P demo versions of games to promote them to third parties are not included.
All previous steps have been done after the UKGC received a letter from the chair of Responsible Affiliates of Gambling, Clive Hawkswood. The letter has been an incentive for the regulator to open discussions over free-to-play games. Hawkswood has also noticed that F2P games on affiliate sites represent an obvious concern.
Source:
“Gambling Commission issues affiliate warning over free-to-play games”, igamingbusiness.com, June 21, 2019.
“UK Gambling Commission clamps down on affiliates use of F2P games”, Allen Brad, egr.global, June 21, 2019.
coolsongss
4 years ago
UKGC is really pushing forward to protect players and even prevent potential exposure to young people. Yeah, I know that some casinos only provide free play for logged in users, which also requires age verification, etc. Betfiar and WilliamHill and some others require loggin for free play, as far as I know. Impressive.
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