Following a consultation with the public and players, the gambling industry and other stakeholders, operators will need to implement tough new player protection measures which will make online casino games less intensive, safer by design and hand players more control over their gambling.

The Commission has focused on online slots because of its features which increase the intensity of play and the corresponding risks to players. Slot games have by far the highest average losses per player of online gambling products.

The new rules include the outright ban of four key features of online slots games:

• Features that speed up play or give the illusion of control over the outcome
• Slot spin speeds faster than 2.5 seconds
• Auto-play - which can lead to players losing track of their play, and;
• Sounds or imagery which give the illusion of a win when the return is in fact equal to, or below, a stake

Other changes include the permanent ban on reverse withdrawals – a function which allows consumers to re-gamble money they had previously requested to withdraw. 

The commission has ruled that operators must also clearly display to the player their total losses or wins and time played during any online slots session.

The enhanced protections that have been announced today will need to be fully implemented by online operators by 31 October 2021.

Neil McArthur, Gambling Commission chief executive, said: “To make online games safer we are introducing a ban on features that speed up play, or give the illusion of control over the outcome. We are also introducing a ban on auto-play, losses disguised as wins, and slot spin speeds faster than 2.5 seconds. The evidence shows that these features increase the risk of harm to customers.

“This is another important step in making gambling safer and where the evidence shows that there are other opportunities to do that we are determined to take them.”