By Gavin Mackintosh-
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has announced that seven licensed on-course bookmakers are facing regulatory action after allowing a 16-year-old to place a bet at Royal Ascot.
The Regulation comes after officers from the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, supported by the UKGC and National Trading Standards, conducted age verification test purchasing at Royal Ascot last month.
The tests revealed that of the 17 on-course bookmakers tested, seven bookmakers allowed a 16-year-old to place a £5 bet, in a clear breach of statutory rules. They face having their license to offer gambling reviewed by the UKGC, but should also be getting an immediate fine.
“These license reviews show how strongly we feel about underage gambling,” said UKGC executive director Richard Watson. “Every single gambling business must protect children from gambling but the on course bookmakers results have remained unacceptable.”
“Despite various educational attempts to raise standards, by ourselves and the trade bodies, the on-course sector has historically performed poorly in both underage gambling test purchase exercises and Think 21 testing,” he said. “Pass rates have failed to meet the standards expected and the sector has consistently performed to levels below those we see in other gambling and age restricted products. By way of example, over the past four years, the on-course sector has a pass rate of around 35 per cent for Think 21 testing.
“We welcome the positive initiate by the local authority and the racecourse to raise standards in the gambling industry,” he added.
Councillor David Cannon, lead member for public protection at the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, said: “I am delighted that our officers led and organised this test purchasing. It is important that our residents as well as visitors to the borough, are kept safe. It is not acceptable to take bets from young people and I am pleased that strong action is taking place.
“Our hard working team of officers will often carry out test purchasing across the borough to ensure our residents are kept safe and that traders are abiding by the rules. I am pleased that this hard work is paying off and the Gambling Commission are taking action against those bookmakers.”
Illegal practices by private licensing by private licensed bookmakers are nothing new. The Gambling Commission needs to step up its seriousness by increasing its punitive measures if it wants to be taken seriously. Reviewing their license is not a strong enough response to the act of breaching the rules when it comes to age limits surrounding gambling.