If there’s one issue that people have with the online sphere today, it’s trust. This extends to virtually every area of the digital world today, given events in recent years involving huge data leaks or companies secretly selling off their users’ data. When it comes to betting, this issue of trust is an even greater deal breaker—these sites require a lot of sensitive personal information. The UKGC is the main body responsible for regulating the industry, so can these sites be trusted? Well, the basic answer is yes. Let’s look at a few reasons why UKGC sites are the most trustworthy option for online betting.
1. Licensed
First and foremost, any betting site operating in the UK legally must have a license from the UKGC. This is really all we mean by UKGC betting sites. Presently, the UKGC has issued licenses to around 2,600 operators for an even larger number of games.
Having such a license and being regulated by the official Gambling Commission means that the site is bound by all the laws which have been put in place to protect consumers. If they do not have a license, then they are operating illegally, and this could mean any number of things. They won’t adhere to standards of fairness, for one thing, and the odds could be always skewed against you.
The most fundamental thing you need to know about any betting site you use is that it is licensed. These are the only sites you can trust—any other site is not operating within the law.
2. Regulations
Following on from that, there are many specific regulations which are enforced only on UKGC gambling sites. One of those, as mentioned, is about fairness, but there are many other implications for sites that are not adhering to the proper regulations.
These regulations prevent sites from, for example, targeting problem gamblers. Around 20% of Brits say they make regular bets, and while this is fine for most people, problem gambling is also a huge issue, with problem gamblers building up debts as high as £10,000 on average.
You know you cannot trust non UKGC sites because of such practices. The regulations may not always benefit the operators, but they are in the best interest of the players. Sites that do not follow the regulations cannot be trusted.
3. Security
When it comes to trust, we now expect a lot more from our online platforms in terms of keeping our information safe. The reason you can trust UKGC sites is because, again, there are certain standards of cyber security to which they are expected to adhere. You will find no such standards with non UKGC sites.
These will include a variety of features, such as 2FA, robust firewalls, and data protection policies which guarantee they won’t sell your data to third parties without your consent.
All of these requirements are now codified in law. If a site is UKGC, then it can only gain such a license by abiding by these laws. If you can trust the Commission to properly enforce its own rules, you can trust the sites that are licensed by them.
4. Fairness
As I mentioned earlier, one of the biggest issues for your actual betting is the question of fairness. Naturally, the house must have an advantage—the UKGC has rules about how far that advantage can go, however.
Generally, the house edge is around 5-10% for online casino websites. But there are all sorts of individual rules about particular games, like fixed odds games. If the site you are using is licensed by the UKGC, then you can play any of its offerings with confidence that they have been tested for fairness. Otherwise, you may stand very little chance of winning.
So, while you should always still take time to look into any betting site you are thinking of using, the fact is that being licensed by the UKGC is the first indicator you need to look for that the site is up to standard. Any site that is not UKGC is operating illegally, and thus is not bound by any of the standards you might associate with regulated gambling. Do not use non-GC betting sites, you will regret it!
