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New £2 maximum stake for under 25s playing online slots

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The UK Government has announced now plans to place more restrictions on online gambling, specifically in relation to young people. From September the intention is that:

Stake limits for online slot games will be introduced for the first time in September, the intention is that there will be:

  • Maximum £2 stake for 18 to 24-year-olds for online slot games to be introduced

  • £5 limit for adults aged 25 and over brings stakes in-line with casinos

It is believed that online slot games are one of the most addictive forms of gambling and so to counter the increased risk of significant harm and life-changing losses from online slot games, the Government will introduce a £5 stake limit for adults aged 25 and over.

This decision comes following a 10-week consultation period in which the majority of respondents agreed with the gambling white paper proposal to introduce statutory limits for online slot games to help reduce the risk of gambling harm.

Gambling Minister Stuart Andrew has said:

Although millions of people gamble safely every single day, the evidence shows that there is a significantly higher problem gambling rate for online slot games. We also know that young adults can be more vulnerable when it comes to gambling related harms, which is why we committed to addressing both of these issues in our white paper.

The growing popularity of online gambling is clear to see, so this announcement will level the playing field with the land-based sector and is the next step in a host of measures being introduced this year that will protect people from gambling harms.

CEO of GambleAware Zoë Osmond said:

We welcome the Government’s announcement to introduce lower online stake limits for under 25s as an important mechanism to protect young people. Our research shows a concerning trend with this age group experiencing an increase in harm arising from gambling and online slots are very high-risk products.

As we continue our work to tackle this growing public health issue, we will collaborate with the Government and others across the gambling harms sector to ensure there are no missed opportunities when it comes to the introduction of robust preventative measures, including new regulations such as these.

The limits will come into force in September this year, following secondary legislation. There will be a six week transition period for operators to become compliant with the general £5 stake limit rules, followed by a further six weeks for the development of any necessary technical solutions to ensure operators are fully compliant with the lower stake limit of £2 for young adults aged 18-24. 

You can read the full report published on the UK Government website external linkExternal links are prohibited