Brace yourselves for more anti-gambling activity in the UK

With the public more closely focused on gambling following high profile anti-FOBT and over-advertising campaigns in political, media and activist circles, online gambling companies should brace themselves for more of the same in the year ahead as the UK parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee begins to enquire into links between video gaming and gambling, and “immersive and addictive impact technologies”.

The inquiry will study everything from the growth of eSports and the use of loot boxes and skins in video games to advanced developments in virtual and augmented reality; the impact on the lives of the public of growing computer, digitisation and gamification products and promotions, and whether current regulations are strong enough to protect the rights of consumers.

The parliamentary committee has issued invitations to interested parties to make submissions before January 14 next year.

In a statement this week Damian Collins, chair of the committee, said: “During our recent inquiries, the committee has heard repeated concerns about the impact to society of the increasing amounts of time that people spend immersed in online worlds, and the potentially addictive nature of social media and gaming”.

“We want to explore these concerns during this inquiry and consider what the right response should be in setting public policy for the future. The committee will also consider how individuals’ online data is used by immersive technologies and what security is offered.

“We’re seeing industries emerge that offer enormous potential for growth such as eSports and gaming where the UK is rightly regarded as a world leader in production. We’ll be looking at what action is needed to ensure we remain a key player. Technology such as virtual reality and augmented reality is already an important asset to the film industry, simulated training, and gaming. We want to understand more about its potential and the future impact it could have on society.”

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