Does a credit check help or harm online gambling?
The authorities in Great Britain are currently trying to find out whether a credit check makes sense in online gambling. There is a reform of the laws on gambling. Again, it is also about how players are to be protected from themselves in the future. Checking your own creditworthiness is an option in this regard. Incidentally, this is the reputation of a person in relation to their own solvency or creditworthiness. In short: Players should be checked from a financial point of view whether they can afford to play online gambling at all. What initially sounds very logical hides numerous stumbling blocks.
Therefore, the association Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) wants to obtain more information in advance. A study was commissioned from YouGov in this regard . The company promptly launched a survey regarding the credit check and its acceptance among gamblers. Overall, only 16 percent are willing to do so. 58 percent answered the opposite. This amount of players does not want to disclose their financial situation to a casino or sports betting provider. 59 percent of those surveyed do not see player protection as guaranteed. 51 percent even see the opposite as likely. But is a credit check an instrument that can really play a role in the course of the British gambling reform?
What speaks for a credit check in online gambling?
In Germany, a financial audit will only take place in exceptional cases at best. Here the regulation states that a maximum of 1,000 euros is allowed to be paid in per month - across providers. At first glance, this rule seems fair. Equal rights for all. But on closer inspection, this rule hardly serves to protect players. Because low earners hardly have a larger net amount to book every month as cash receipts. However, if you have an annual salary of 20,000 euros or are already wealthy, this limit is too rigid. This is where a credit check can help. This is aimed at solvencyaway. In the case of creditworthiness, income and expenses are determined. Existing payment obligations and the professional situation are also an issue. Finally, it is important to see whether the checking account is regularly in the red. So it's less about specific numbers and more about general reliability.
The UK government wants the credit check, if implemented, to protect players from themselves . Customers of online gambling platforms should not be able to gamble away amounts that are above their own means. The goal is correct. But is the credit rating the right indicator in this regard? In Germany, for example, the debtor ratio is 8.86 percent. But debt doesn't mean players don't have high incomes. Because the financial situation of a person is more complex. In Great Britain, the number of problem gamblers has already fallen from 0.6 to 0.3 percent in the last year. Nevertheless, further measures are being sought to prevent possible gambling addiction.
Credit check in Germany? It is quite possible that the creditworthiness in the Federal Republic will also be checked. This then applies to those players applying for a higher deposit limit. In this case, it is up to the state to see whether the customer can afford his behavior. A credit check is the chance to increase your limit.
What speaks against a credit check in online gambling?
It is governments' job to protect their citizens. In this case, it is about financial protection. But when it comes to the credit check, we have to ask ourselves whether querying the financial status has the desired effect. Some players will be able to bet less as a result. Some may no longer be able to access licensed online gambling sites at all . And with that, we touched on an important point – the license. Because the providers who are not licensed in the respective country also exist. Access to this can be made more difficult with network blocks. But these days, these are easy to avoid. If you want to find a way to play without the credit check, you will find it. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is set up quickly. Some browsers now include this function by default.
As a result, the exact opposite could happen. Players can no longer play with the licensed and thus regulated providers. They are leaving the legal market and turning to the black market. There they are no longer subject to any controls. You can wager any amount. In addition, the approach to land-based gambling offers should also be questioned. Larger sums can also be gambled away offline. Does a credit check also take place when a customer enters a casino? It may look different if such an examination is carried out on the basis of evidence. If a player shows signs of an addiction problem, the credit check could serve as a wake-up call. Customers should then question themselves. Nevertheless, the mere existence of such a measure is an incentive for the other players to play within their own acceptable limits.
Creditworthiness in Germany : If the gaming authority in Halle is fully operational, network blocks can be imposed and customers want to play beyond the fixed stake limit of 1,000 euros, this measure is definitely an option. We are not yet aware of an exact design in this regard.
source: https://casinova.org/