The Gambling Commission will delay a ban on direct marketing without customer consent after complaints that the wording of the new rules was too vague. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

UKGC delays rule change

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has delayed the introduction of new rules for gambling operators regarding direct marketing after concerns that the wording was unclear.

The new rules, intended to be active from January 17, 2025, stated that operators would require the express consent of all customers before sending them any direct marketing materials.

the rule suggested they may be forced to deny direct marketing to customers who had already opted in

However, operators claimed that section 5.1.12 of the Social Responsibility Code was too vague. The rule suggested they may be forced to deny direct marketing to customers who had already opted in, until they updated their preferences again.

As a result, the proposed rule changes have now been pushed back almost five months, and will come into force on May 1, 2025.

Rules too unclear for operators

The original wording of the section stated: “All customers logging into their account for the first time after the commencement date of this provision are required to have confirmed their marketing preferences in line with this condition before they are permitted to gamble.”

There were also concerns over whether operators would be allowed to transfer customers’ existing preferences around advertising.

The planned reforms come as a result of the Gambling Act Review, a government white paper which was issued in 2023. A consultation process followed, before the UKGC announced in May this year that direct marketing had an effect on problem gambling, and proposed new rules to govern its use.

UKGC piloting further reforms

Elsewhere, the UKGC is busy implementing a new pilot scheme for affordability checks, which has just launched this week.

The scheme, which will involve operators sharing data with credit reference agencies, will not be acted upon, but is being run as a pilot scheme to ascertain the feasibility of proposed new regulations.

Under the scheme, users spending more than £500 per week on gambling could potentially be flagged, with the figure set to drop to £150 next year.