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Breaking: Gambling companies will be forced to make online slot machines safer, in a move that could crimp the £2.2bn a year they make from the machines. Measures include:-
- A gap of at least 2.5 seconds between spins, to slow down the rate of play/loss.
- No more reverse withdrawals (where players opt to collect their winnings before thinking better off it and feeding the cash back in. Correlates with gambling addiction.
- No more reverse withdrawals (where players opt to collect their winnings before thinking better off it and feeding the cash back in. Correlates with gambling addiction.
- No more "losses disguised as wins", where machines play a cheery little noise when you've actually lost money, making you think you're doing well.
- No "auto-play", where you can set the slot to spin automatically multiple times.
- No "auto-play", where you can set the slot to spin automatically multiple times.
- No more features that give the "illusion of control" (i.e. making you believe you have any control over what is essentially a random outcome generator).
- Operators must clearly display losses and time played during the session, to make players aware of what they're doing.
- Operators must clearly display losses and time played during the session, to make players aware of what they're doing.
This has been done in partnership with firms that have done as much as any to introduce and design such features, SG Gaming and Playtech. They were enlisted by the Gambling Commission to help dismantle their own arsenal...
However, one might argue that the industry has had the best part of 15 years to do this.
With the government's gambling review upcoming, it has taken an emboldened Gambling Commission and a terrified industry to do what should have been done years ago.
With the government's gambling review upcoming, it has taken an emboldened Gambling Commission and a terrified industry to do what should have been done years ago.
Story to follow...
