UK Online Gambling Advertising Starts Now (UK White List - Gambling Act of 2005)

August 31, 2007

September 1^st, the UK Gambling Act 2005 will take effect and all the online gambling sites are gearing up for the new UK gambling laws. This piece of new legislation will be updating laws from as far back as 1845!

The new laws will relax the restrictions on advertising for gambling and according to the government will protect vulnerable people especially children, cut crime and keep games fair. Casinos, bookmakers and casino and online poker websites are preparing to start running gambling advertising as early as Saturday.

All UK gambling advertisements must closely follow the policy set by the Advertising Standards Authority and also operators have volunteered to a 9pm cut off point for commercials for their gambling services unless they are shown around a sporting event.

The new UK Gambling Act 2005 will affect not only effect casinos and online gambling websites, but all forms of gambling in the UK including arcades, betting, bingo and gambling in pubs and clubs. It gives local licensing officers the power to visit local gambling sites to inspect and enforce the new requirements.

Another change that the Gambling Act will enact is that bingo halls no longer have to return 100% of its stakes back as prize money. They can now hold some back and offer rollover prizes. As a result, the National Bingo Game is launching a new £1 million jackpot game called the Big N starting September 15^th. Advertising as the largest jackpot game in bingo, the jackpot prize will roll over till there is a winner.