Changing Face of Online Bingo

Recent changes proposed by the Government could have massive implications to the online gaming community. More specifically the changes will impact on those playing online bingo. Gerry Sutcliffe the Minister for Culture and Sport has announced details of his plan to assess the present licensing system governing remote gaming legislation. This assessment has been talked about as far back as April 2009 but it has only been in January 2010 that he confirmed his intention to create a new system for any Gambling websites licensed outside of the United Kingdom.

Latest reports indicate that an estimated 98- 99% of existing online bingo companies will be impacted in some way by the proposed changes. Surprisingly these changes will not be limited to the smaller lesser known firms and will impact the larger, well known bingo brands.

All the proposed changes are applied in the interest of UK consumers offering greater legal protection against gambling companies whose trading practices are at the least questionable. Many of these "unscrupulous" sites are often based in Europe outside of the UK and are therefore not bound under UK Law. Sutcliffe's changes will limit trading licenses to online companies that are licensed in the UK, meaning that they solely will be able to deliver online bingo to UK consumers. This is aimed at providing further protection for the customer whilst maintaining an enjoyable gaming experience and also means increased tax payments to the UK government rather than the EU pot.

The next step in the process is to hold lengthy discussions between the UK Government and the Gambling Commission to iron out the granular details of this new paper. The changes will be tailored to creating more controls surrounding the transfer and repayment of funds on online bingo sites. Where these changes are created to protect customers against the shady practices of some online sites there is concern from some members that this will make it difficult for some genuine and reputable sites to enter the UK market.

However on the whole the government is to be commended for acting to protect the interests of the British gaming public and addressing the need to assess the current practices of some online bingo firms. And although there is no finalisation date for these proposals the foundations have been laid for further good news on top of the recession-proof bingo industry.