Compliance has always been a hot topic in the iGaming industry, especially in the UK where the UKGC strictly regulates any operators and closely monitors what they do. However, over the past few years, 2020 in particular, more European countries have been readdressing and tightening their gambling regulations.
iGaming compliance doesn’t just apply to operators either – affiliates need to understand the law and keep their marketing campaigns in check. Regulatory breaches by affiliates can reflect poorly on operators and relationships can be tarnished between these parties.
AgeChecked believes that both affiliates and operators must be more compliant in 2021. This is due to the big changes seen across countries like The Netherlands, the UK and Germany more recently.
UK Gambling Act 2005 Review
For anyone operating in the UK, it won’t come as a surprise to hear that this region is heavily regulated. The UKGC takes its role very seriously and regularly reviews any existing policies in place. They also aren’t afraid to hand out fines to operators who mislead players or seemingly target minors with their ads.
In order to tighten regulations where required, the UK government is currently undergoing a review of the Gambling Act 2005. This review builds on the restrictions on VIP schemes that came into force back in October with a focus on intervention and affordability checks.
The UK government has already announced that they will be increasing the minimum lottery age to 18 years old. With this change, comes the requirement for operators and affiliates to properly monitor the age of their players. For all other gambling products, the minimum age requirement is 18 years old and so compliance is key.
Remote Gambling Act in The Netherlands
Age verification has been a priority for the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) for quite some time now. This first began after a report exposed the ease with which minors were able to engage in gambling activities in The Netherlands.
Since then, the Dutch gambling regulator announced that any online gambling operators targeting players in The Netherlands must use “age verification software” to tackle this.
This news certainly shook things up for operators in this region but there have been delays in enforcing it. The Remote Gambling Act in The Netherlands was delayed by two-months, meaning that the anticipated date of entry is now 1 March 2021.
This delay gives any parties involved a chance to adapt to the new laws and incorporate age verification into their operators. If all goes to plan, the online market will open on 1 September 2021.
GlüNeuRStV introduced in Germany
Back in March 2020, the heads of state in Germany approved the GlüNeuRStV which is a legal framework governing online gambling. Within this, they included strict age verification regulations that aim to prevent minors from gaining access to these products.
Any operators targeting Germany players will now be required to prove that they use a robust age verification solution in order to obtain a license.
The treaty is set to open up the online market to all products and verticals including slots and poker. This will come into force on 1 July 2021 once the transitional period is complete. Despite the transitional period lasting for so long, all operators were asked to comply with new laws as of 15 October 2020.
While this is a great opportunity for any affiliates and operators in Germany, the strict age verification laws must be carefully adhered to.
Why is compliance so important?
As more markets open up, compliance has never been more important. These decisions are not made lightly and there is always the possibility that things could change in the future. For example, if too many operators or affiliates were breaching the rules, the governments and regulatory bodies could look to tightening the rules further.
Targeting a range of markets and products can be beneficial as an affiliate but this also comes with risks. Any affiliates operating in Germany, the UK or The Netherlands must be made aware of any changes to regulations. This doesn’t always just refer to age verification either – other regulatory updates can include minimum stakes or even changes to KYC rules.
How can AgeChecked help?
The best way to remain compliant with regulatory changes is to stay ahead. Gambling regulations are complicated and when you operate in multiple regions, the risk of breaching these generally increases.
AgeChecked provides a range of solutions for operators and affiliates within the gambling industry. Regardless of the territory, the optimum solution can be found. Due to AgeChecked’s innovative technology, only one integration is required for multiple territories. This means that customers can be geo-targeted and presented with the required compliance checks.
Learn more about AgeChecked’s age verification solutions for gambling here and ensure your business remains compliant throughout 2021 and in the future.
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