New YouGov Poll Reveals 75% of Gamblers Back Online Protection Measures

A new survey from YouGov suggests that about 75% of gamblers support measures for providing protection for online gamblers. About 70% of gamblers also believe that operators are not serious about their commitment to responsible gambling.

The UK-based online market research and data analytics firm also revealed that at least 20% of punters placed a bet online in the last years that they could not afford. The report was carried by the Mirror, which wrote that 75% of the surveyed audience supported more initiatives designed to protect online gamblers.

The British Medical Journal (BMJ) called for a mandatory levy on gambling operators earlier this week. Owing to the lack of funding received via the current voluntary levy, the BMJ said that a mandatory levy would be the right step forward. It said that the economic cost of gambling-related issues is “severely understated.” The author of the reports also pointed out a strong link between suicide rates and problem gambling issues.

Deputy Labour party leader, Tom Watson has previously asked for a complete overhaul of the current gambling laws in the UK. In March this year, he said that the 2005 Gambling Act is analog legislation that does not meet the needs of the digital age. He indicated that the old regulations are not fully equipped to handle the digital age.

He also pointed out that the public does not trust gambling companies to change their ways. This is because people are constantly hearing news about vulnerable problem gamblers getting constant gambling advertising and special offers. Online gambling has become very prominent since the last regulation was passed. According to him, a new gambling regulation designed for digital wagering should be put in place, that should contain restrictions on what people can lose on a bet.

The survey also reveals that 85% of people are in favor of the recent stake reduction in fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs). The maximum bets on these machines were earlier £100 and have now been reduced to £2. Earlier, there were speculations about the stake reduction to go into effect in October 2019. But the government paid heed to gamblers losing around £18,000 and implemented the restriction earlier.

The gambling operators weren’t happy with the news, and William Hill even went on to say that it will have to close about 40% of its betting shops. The practice is expected to make revenues fall by 45% in stores.