How Are UK Bingo Sites Regulated in 2020

With the ongoing growth of the UK bingo site industry, more and more places to play are appearing seemingly every week. Whilst this is definitely great news for bingo lovers, the glut of new sites does raise some concerns as to the safety and legitimacy of each one. New players are particularly vulnerable to falling for suspect sites and you can find out more about UK bingo sites at www.bingosites.co.uk.

Luckily, authorities such as the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) ensure that UK bingo sites are safe for players to enjoy through imposing a variety of rules and regulations.

In this article, we will take a look at how UK bingo sites are regulated in 2020, taking in the key elements that all sites must possess in order to achieve full certification from the UKGC.

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the first requirement on our list.

The Gambling Act 2005 & 2014

At present, there is plenty of talk around regulation of gambling and UK bingo sites online. Much of this debate revolves around the conditions imposed on gambling in Britain with the Gambling Act 2005 & 2014.

The 2005 Act was a game-changer for UK bingo sites, an update that had been over forty years in the making. The act said that gambling and bingo laws in the UK should revolve around the concept that gambling sites must not be a pathway to committing criminal activity. Furthermore, it stated that gambling must be fair and that online gambling providers must protect children and vulnerable people from gambling.

The UKGC was actually born out of the 2005 Gambling Act, which allowed gambling businesses to advertise in the UK. However, the 2014 Act took aim at advertising and supposed abusers by casinos and UK bingo sites.  More or less, the UK bingo site regulations state that bingo can only be offered online with fully-licensed software.

Another major overhaul of the 2014 Act was to ensure that UK bingo sites aimed at British citizens and advertising to the UK should be licensed by the UK. This ensured that all other protocols regarding advertising and such were followed but also prevented offshore businesses from targeting UK customers with nefarious intentions.

UK bingo sites must know where all players are playing from and that they are of legal age to play. For this reason, all players must input their age and address at the stage of payment for any UK bingo site.

Which other UK bingo sites are legal to play in Britain?

Not all sites operating to a British audience need regulation in the UK. In fact, the UKGC has a ‘whitelist’ of authorities whose licensed bingo sites are permitted to operate in the UK because the UKGC sees them as having strong legislation and standards.

This means that, in addition to UK bingo sites regulated by the UKGC, British players can enjoy sites from authorities including all European Economic Area countries, Alderney, Antigua and Barbuda, Gibraltar, Isle of Man and Tasmania.

Licensing Conditions for UK Bingo Site Regulation in 2020

For UK bingo sites, it is important to follow a strict set of rules in order to receive a license from the UKGC.

Elements such as the protection of money and segregation of funds are incredibly important in order to ensure that a UK bingo site is legitimate. What’s more, anti-money laundering regulations are in place in the UK, as well as provision on credit regulations, fair and transparent practices and responsible advertising and placement.

At UK bingo sites, the software creators used must be licensed by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission as well, because this makes sure that all games are safe and fair.