The Betting and Gaming Council has commissioned a survey recently that has revealed the British public does not agree with the government dictating the amount of their money they are allowed to wager. The research and analytics company YouGov conducted the probe which published its results indicating only twenty seven percent of the U.K. public agreed with the wagering limits imposed and as many as fifty one percent were opposed to the limits.
It was reported that the proposed restrictions regarding wagers may cost the horse racing industry as much as £100 million in annual losses. This, along with 13,000 public submissions regarding the proposed affordability checks sent to the UK Gambling Commission may prompt the Commission to re-evaluate the move.
Michael Dugher, Chief Executive of the Betting and Gaming Council, said he supports both the betting limits and the affordability verification. The statement comes after the results of the poll of 1,683 adult participants, determined the majority of Brits oppose the introduction of said betting limits.
The enforcement of a £100 monthly loss limit on online gambling is one of the proposed changes in the gambling act. Gamblers who exceed the limit will be required to undergo obligatory financial verification to establish whether they can support their gambling activities.
It was established that about 22% of the survey participants had no opinion on the matter but many U.K. residents are concerned restrictions could push gamblers towards unregulated operators. Approximately 59% of those who responded thought this is a possibility while just 10% expressed the opposite opinion. A recent report revealed the number of wagers made on unregulated betting sites had increased from £1.4 billion to £2.8 billion during the past year.
It was suggested that fear among focus groups was ramping up with concerns from respondents that government is too controlling after the lockdown restrictions imposed by the covid-19 pandemic. These focus groups expressed the opinion that gambling is a normal social activity in the U.K.