How Are UK Bingo Sites Licenced And Regulated?

Online bingo in the UK has witnessed considerable growth over the last decade, which has led to a significant number of bingo sites being launched. While it sounds easy to launch a bingo site, based on the volume that is now available, there are certain bases that first need to be covered.

The most important of which is that a bingo site which offers and markets its games to UK players, requires a license from the UKGC (UK Gambling Commission). The reason why this is so crucial is that the UKGC regulates every site that is under its purview and monitors them on a consistent basis, to ensure that they are adhering to strict legislation. This legislation is in place for the protection of the player. 

What is needed for a UK bingo site to obtain a UK license?

There are a number of stipulations that a bingo site must have in place before it can be granted a license, which are in conjunction with the 2005 Gaming Act which formed the foundation for the establishment of the UKGC.

The three main elements are as follows:

• All bingo gambling activity must be fair
• Every bingo platform must not be a source for any kind of illegal activity such as money laundering
• Each operator are required to protect vulnerable players such as those with gambling addictions and also those who are underage

You can find a comprehensive list of bingo sites that you can play on the internet without having to  worry about whether they have a license or not, due to the fact that they are monitored regularly by the UKGC. 

Main roles of the UKGC

The UKGC has a number of roles that it undertakes in relation to the monitoring of UK bingo sites. Below are just a few of those that it carries out.

Preventing illegal activities linked to gambling

Perhaps the most crucial role of the UKGC, they make sure that all license holders apply an effective policy, such as sufficient background checks on players like the ‘KYC’ (Know Your Customer), where the player is required to answer a number of questions satisfactorily. In the majority of cases this also includes the player providing their source of income.

Ensuring bingo operators use the Gamstop scheme

This is where the UKGC checks whether bingo operators products (games) are provided by licensed providers, which essentially ensures that the games are fair. The Gamstop scheme is where players have the option to ‘self-exclude’ themselves from using the operator and their products at any time and as such do not receive any further marketing material.

Make sure players are protected

One of the main elements of this is where the UKGC carries out checks on a bingo site to make sure that they have industry approved SSL encryption in place on their site which provides protection for player’s details and also financial transactions.