The Gambling Commission of Great Britain has suspended the licence of an adult gaming centre for multiple regulatory violations.
The licence suspension was handed down last week to Wyke Gaming & Amusement Centre in Bradford for failing to participate in a multi operator self-exclusion scheme. The self-exclusion system enables players with a gambling problem to self-exclude from adult gaming centres (AGCs) in their area.
The operator was also found to have exceeded the number of category B gaming machines that it can host on its premises, which is currently capped by law at 20 per cent of the total number of available machines.
It also failed to have arrangements in place for customers to be able to refer any dispute to an alternative dispute resolution entity.
The licence suspension will remain in place until the Commission has been able to verify that the operators’ facilities are fully compliant.
The Gambling Commission is currently conducting a public consultation into new gaming machine standards which are designed to further strengthen responsible gambling.
The proposals under consultation include a new minimum spin speed to slow down gameplay and the rate at which losses can be incurred, and the introduction of a host of responsible gambling tools on machines to give players the opportunity to set limits and monitor their gambling spend.
The games will also be made less attractive by prohibiting losses disguised as wins, where the win is below the amount staked, and players will be subject to mandatory cooling off periods between games or when limit thresholds are met.
The consultation closes on 3 June, having been extended from the original closing date of 20 May.