In the past year we have seen many changes taking place in the gambling industry of the UK. With the rise of online slots popularity there came many heated debates about the safety and accessibility when it comes to online casinos, underage people and problem gamblers. The new year has brought us news on the state of the slots industry in 2021 – visit and play today. Let’s look at how this industry is going to change in the near future.
Gambling Act 2021
Perhaps the most important part of 2021 for slots is the release of the new gambling act. The collection of rules and regulations was set for release in 2020 but has been delayed and is expected to come into action on the 31st October of 2021. Lets look at some items rumoured to be in place in the new gambling act.
- All games will be banned from playing positive sound effects when the player loses. This feature is designed to make the player believe that they have enjoyed a positive outcome when they’ve in fact lost.
- There will have to be a gap of at least 2.5 seconds in between spins. The gambling commission argues that this way the player will be able to keep track of his bankroll more efficiently.
- The Autoplay button is set to be removed from all slots games. According to the authors of the act, it causes mindless spending.
- “Reverse withdrawals” are set to be banned. This is a phenomenon when a player requests to collect the money but then changes their mind and feeds the money back into the account. From the release of the new gambling act, changing your mind this way will not be possible.
- Gambling operators will have to clearly display to the player the amount of time they’ve played, the losses and the wins at all times while playing.
- The maximum bet on online slots is set for a major decrease.
- Turbo play feature is set to be scrapped to decrease the speed that the player can spend at.
- Multi-slot play is set to be scrapped.
According to the sports minister Nigel Huddleston these measures will help to reduce the intensity of online gambling and introduce protections that will reduce the risk of gambling related harm. The minister has assured though, that these new rules will be compliant with the digital age and the current place of slots in the UK culture.
New games and more to come?
This sums up what we currently know about the new Gambling Act 2021. But that is not all when it comes to new developments in slots. Many developers like Thunderkick and Quickspin have announced new games in 2021. Maybe we’re on the doorstep of something completely new and revolutionary? We can only wait and see. Meanwhile, we wish you many wins and to always gamble responsibly!
