Deadline extended to respond to Remote Customer Interaction Consultation & Call for Evidence

The Gambling Commission has today (21 December 2020) confirmed that it has extended until Tuesday 9 February 2021 its “Remote Customer Interaction Consultation and Call for Evidence” that was launched on 3 November 2020.

Particularly given that the Commission is proposing “to introduce stronger requirements, including that operators must conduct defined affordability assessments at thresholds set by the Commission, this is a crucial consultation and call for evidence process.

We have previously reported in more detail on this process in our website posting entitled “Affordability at the fore of the UKGC’s Remote Customer Interaction Consultation & Call for Evidence” and it is also summarised in David Clifton’s November 2020 SBC News ‘Licensing Expert’ article entitled “Affordability Takes Centre Stage”.

Today’s announcement of the deadline extension (from 12 January to 9 February 2021) reads as follows:

Remote Customer Interaction consultation and call for evidence – extension to deadline to respond

The Gambling Commission has today extended the deadline on the consultation and call for evidence on remote customer interaction.

Launched on 3 November, the Commission-led consultation is calling for views and feedback from consumers, people with lived experience, industry and other stakeholders on stronger requirements on online operators to identify consumers who may be at risk of gambling harm, and the preventative actions they should take. This includes improved affordability checks and actions for vulnerable consumers.

With high engagement since the consultation opened last month, the Commission has extended the call for evidence deadline by four weeks to Tuesday 9 February.

This extension will allow more time for detailed feedback and the strongest evidence base possible from consumers and other stakeholders.

Take part in the consultation.

UPDATE: As reported by us here, on 18 January 2021, the Gambling Commission commenced a little-publicised “short survey”, that closes on 9 February 2021. Covering certain of the same issues and themes contained within the above-mentioned Consultation and Call for Evidence, it seeks views – primarily from the general public – on how gambling companies interact with their customers, with a particular focus on affordability.