According to recent news, the VIP gambling schemes might get banned in the UK since the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is reviewing them. The commission developed a secret report analysing nine strongest online gambling businesses. All of the companies permitted the research to be performed under the rule that their names be kept anonymous. The report points out that for some companies, 80% of its income comes from VIP gambling.
The Problems
A direct link between gambling disease and VIP gambling has been established within the commission’s report. For example, one of the operators has 2% of VIP players but 83% of their entire income came from this 2 %. This is pretty much what high rollers are in poker. Of course, the percentages are not as drastic in all companies since one company got 60% of all income from VIP players.
Penalties
The report went on about that around 70% of all penalties issued to these companies are related to VIP players. Therefore, it could be said that the majority of the company’s operators are focusing on the minority of their players.
The Future
It’s hard to anticipate the future but most likely, the UKGC might opt for a reduction of VIP schemes this year. A complete stop of the VIP sector is highly unlikely and way too strict but a reduction is highly possible. Additionally, the gambling sector in the UK will most likely undergo a complete review. Player protection is not just under review in the UK, it is an on-going discussion worldwide.
Recently, it was found that a lot of gambling companies were using Google’s AdWords to move past the GamStop filters and reach more people. Google was unaware of the problem, or just not interested in dealing with it but they have recently been publically called to solve this issue. GamStop is a company that provides free service and helps people in restricting their online gambling in the UK.