Consultation on Licence conditions and codes of practice February 2023: multi-operator self-exclusion, notification of deaths by suicide and technical update relating to payment services

In February of 2023 we consulted on three proposed amendments to our Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) requirements on gambling businesses for multi-operator self-exclusion, notification of deaths by suicide and a technical update relating to payment services.  

The detailed proposals were to: 

1. change Social Responsibility (SR) Code Provision 3.5.5 - Remote multi-operator self-exclusion to extend the requirement to participate in the GAMSTOP multi-operator self-exclusion scheme to all gambling licensees that make and accept bets by telephone and email.​ 

2. add a requirement to Licence Condition 15.2.2 - Other reportable events that would require all gambling licensees to inform us when they become aware that a person who has gambled with them has died by suicide.​ 

3. amend the text of Licence Condition 5.1.2 – Payment methods and services to ensure that the condition reflects the current legislative provisions plus a further amendment to ensure that the condition also reflects any further legislative amendments that might come into force in the future.

We received 77 written responses to the consultation from a wide range of stakeholders, including consumers, people with lived experience of harm, gambling business, charities and academics.   

We have reviewed the responses to each of the three proposals and they have informed our final position.  

There was generally good support for the proposal to extend the multi-operator self-exclusion scheme to additional categories of betting licensee, we received some mixed views on the proposal to add a new reporting requirement for notification of deaths by suicide and had a generally positive response to the proposal to update the existing licence condition on payment methods and services. 

We have carefully considered all of the responses to the consultation proposals and have decided to proceed with all three proposed LCCP changes. 

We have decided to extend the requirement to participate in the GAMSTOP multi-operator self-exclusion scheme to all gambling businesses that make and accept bets by telephone and email. Our primary focus here has been on assessing the risk of harm (in particular for consumers who are vulnerable) as well as the benefits to consumers of clarity and uniformity of approach, alongside the additional costs faced by gambling licensees. This updated requirement will come into force on 1 April 2024. 

We have decided to add a requirement for all gambling businesses to inform us when they become aware that a person who has gambled with them has died by suicide. Our assessment of the impact of adding the death by suicide reporting requirement to LCCP is that it will have a relatively modest impact on licensees which feels both reasonable and proportionate. This new requirement will come into force on 1 April 2024.

We have decided to update the existing condition on payment methods and services to reflect the current legislative provisions and ensure that the condition is suitably future proofed against any further simple legislative changes. This updated requirement will come into force on 31 January 2024.

You can read more about the response to this consultation and our next steps on our consultations page.