The Elephant in the room!

[Blacko]

We’ve discussed many times on TGC the changes the UKGC have made to regulate gambling providers and support the players who suffer from addiction. It’s not just the UK, our German friends amongst others have joined us to protect their people against the effects of this harmful addiction.

Gamstop was a saviour to me. At the time I thought I could manually self exclude and leave myself with one remaining active casino account.. who was I kidding, that was about effective as climbing Ben Nevis with Tyson Fury strapped to me back. Anyway the folks at GS are good people who have problem gamblers interests at heart.

So let me run through the changes the UKGC have made to protect British players,, £2 max stake on FOBTs ( fantastic implementation albeit fortune spins have to go ), bonus buys scrapped ( who could argue with that! ), future measures include disabling auto play ( pointless !!!)

This is where the Elephant in the room appears. These measures which have ultimately took years of planning are futile. Cryptocurrency casinos are on the rise effectively crippling any protection players have had regardless to their location. I basically joined stake by providing an email address.. that’s it, they have a self exclusion facility but what’s the fucking point if that when my missus email address has me a new account within 2 minutes. Don’t get me wrong my losses are small, however this little devil on my shoulder ( pardon the pun ) is always sitting on my shoulder in times of weakness. 
 

Yesterday I read on TGC of a finance firm offering credit to players who are regulated by a casino regulated by the UKGC… WTF!

Im asking the community a simple question “In regards to making gambling safer, have we taken two steps forward or three steps backwards?”, Social media atm is crammed with fake streamers spewing out fake wins daily, seasoned gamblers as we are on this forum know instantly it’s bullshit without having to view it.. however there tens of thousands of young folk out there who are naive and will try to replicate such scenarios themselves leading in disaster.

What’s ur opinion troops x

[MrUKHackz]

32 minutes ago, Blacko said:

Yesterday I read on TGC of a finance firm offering credit to players who are regulated by a casino regulated by the UKGC… WTF!

They don't offer credit for gambling, they're just a middle man like paypal so you don't have it on your bank statement. @Jok3st3r checked

Regards the rest of your post I totally agree, the UKGC's efforts are now futile with the rise of crypto casinos, this was why I said a while back we can't stop burying our heads in the sand and deleting posts mentioning Stake when they are on Watfords shirt and all over UFC's canvas, arguably two of the most popular sports on the planet!

@ryans_slots You must of missed that post mate

[Rocknrolla]

Like you said there's been a lot of good, getting rid of being to able to reverse withdrawals and gamstop have been the two best in my opinion. I think if it wasn't for these crypto casinos and maybe even the scammy non gamstop casinos then it would be at a pretty good place, well a lot better than a few years ago anyway. In terms of making things better/safer I'm not sure there's much more than can be done with ukgc casinos, maybe make it a must for all casinos to make new players get fully verified first before playing.

 

[Blacko]

1 hour ago, Rocknrolla said:

Like you said there's been a lot of good, getting rid of being to able to reverse withdrawals and gamstop have been the two best in my opinion. I think if it wasn't for these crypto casinos and maybe even the scammy non gamstop casinos then it would be at a pretty good place, well a lot better than a few years ago anyway. In terms of making things better/safer I'm not sure there's much more than can be done with ukgc casinos, maybe make it a must for all casinos to make new players get fully verified first before playing.

 

I’ve been with them for around 6 Month, I had one email asking if I’d be so kind to verify but it’s not essential, they threw out a little incentive for me to verify but that was that, heard nothing since. If they performed the slightest diligence they would discover that I don’t live in Ireland. They even have a facility called moonpay if you don’t happen to be crypto savvy, this lot take €4 on a €30 deposit and also a foreign transaction fee of just over a pound.

[PlasticSalamander7]

 

3 hours ago, MrUKHackz said:

They don't offer credit for gambling, they're just a middle man like paypal so you don't have it on your bank statement. @Jok3st3r checked

 

I’ll hold my hands up and apologise for that one like. As I said on my post I can’t access any sites so couldn’t actually see the ins and outs of it I was just under the impression that it was a service that was solely made for ‘buy now pay later’ style transactions 

I think the Crypto casinos are a rabbit hole way too deep for me to dive down whilst at work from the brief bits of info I’ve read on them they seem like a problem. Especially with a lot of younger people who may not be too interested in gambling to begin with but with large crypto portfolios stumbling upon content of people showing how ‘easy’ it is to win more.

Anyways my tail is tucked firmly between my legs and I’ll leave the calling out of ‘bad practices’ to the big lads from now on

[Guest andywilliams1187]

The ukgc had some good ideas, but where they really let themselves down was not engaging with actual hardened gamblers. Instead they used a very selective committee which does not provide a true picture if what needed to change 

It's gone too far now. People will circumvent and crypto will be the next big thing for online players, especially as the likes of stake etc will never be on gamstop. 

The £2 stake limit has hit the bookies hard, especially with the roulette games but it is still very easy to do large amounts. I've seen people lose over 1k in less than an hour on 2quid a spin. 

I think they have done all they can, but people have to realise as well that they have to take some responsibility and meet them half way and use a bit of self control (something I really struggle with so I try not to carry cash if I can help it). 

[Guest andywilliams1187]

5 minutes ago, PlasticSalamander7 said:

 

I’ll hold my hands up and apologise for that one like. As I said on my post I can’t access any sites so couldn’t actually see the ins and outs of it I was just under the impression that it was a service that was solely made for ‘buy now pay later’ style transactions 

Anyways my tail is tucked firmly between my legs and I’ll leave the calling out of ‘bad practices’ to the big lads from now on

No need to apologise mate - I (and others) would have brought it up as well. I couldn't check either due to bans but @Jok3st3r was able to. That's half the point of the forum mate to check these things and make sure no one is risking being screwed over

[Bangers]

5 hours ago, Rocknrolla said:

maybe make it a must for all casinos to make new players get fully verified first before playing.

That ''should be'' the dress code before any deposits are even considered 

But they know that will also put some people off and IMO that's why things are slack until someone lands and hits the withdraw tap,  uploading = couldn't be simpler,  taking out = Questions. 

[Bangers]

6 hours ago, Blacko said:

We’ve discussed many times on TGC the changes the UKGC have made to regulate gambling providers and support the players who suffer from addiction. It’s not just the UK, our German friends amongst others have joined us to protect their people against the effects of this harmful addiction.

Gamstop was a saviour to me. At the time I thought I could manually self exclude and leave myself with one remaining active casino account.. who was I kidding, that was about effective as climbing Ben Nevis with Tyson Fury strapped to me back. Anyway the folks at GS are good people who have problem gamblers interests at heart.

So let me run through the changes the UKGC have made to protect British players,, £2 max stake on FOBTs ( fantastic implementation albeit fortune spins have to go ), bonus buys scrapped ( who could argue with that! ), future measures include disabling auto play ( pointless !!!)

This is where the Elephant in the room appears. These measures which have ultimately took years of planning are futile. Cryptocurrency casinos are on the rise effectively crippling any protection players have had regardless to their location. I basically joined stake by providing an email address.. that’s it, they have a self exclusion facility but what’s the fucking point if that when my missus email address has me a new account within 2 minutes. Don’t get me wrong my losses are small, however this little devil on my shoulder ( pardon the pun ) is always sitting on my shoulder in times of weakness. 
 

Yesterday I read on TGC of a finance firm offering credit to players who are regulated by a casino regulated by the UKGC… WTF!

Im asking the community a simple question “In regards to making gambling safer, have we taken two steps forward or three steps backwards?”, Social media atm is crammed with fake streamers spewing out fake wins daily, seasoned gamblers as we are on this forum know instantly it’s bullshit without having to view it.. however there tens of thousands of young folk out there who are naive and will try to replicate such scenarios themselves leading in disaster.

What’s ur opinion troops x

Valid points and a decent read BUT!

You've been round the block mate and you don't need me to tell someone like you  or anyone else for that matter that some people can have EVERY wall built in their way as a safeguard, BUT if they really want a gamble they'll find a way. 

I have a mate that keeps barring himself from all the local bookies,  all he does now is jump on the bus or train and heads to a new location, he's not fixing his situation, he's out our eyeline now but he's still gambling in the same way on the same shit. 

[Blacko]

8 minutes ago, Bangers said:

Valid points and a decent read BUT!

You've been round the block mate and you don't need me to tell someone like you  or anyone else for that matter that some people can have EVERY wall built in their way as a safeguard, BUT if they really want a gamble they'll find a way. 

I have a mate that keeps barring himself from all the local bookies,  all he does now is jump on the bus or train and heads to a new location, he's not fixing his situation, he's out our eyeline now but he's still gambling in the same way on the same shit. 

Your absolutely right mate if there’s a way I would find it. Gamstop was the bizzo for problem gamblers till stake came along, there are many crypto currency casinos, the majority of them require verification as they don’t allow players from the UK. You could effectively win the lottery and lose it overnight on this casino, it’s fucking lethal. 
 

I don’t have much of a problem with the bookies these days, long gone are the days where I would have hundreds on horses, very much a small punter nowadays. I remember I barred myself years ago where my details and picture were on file, I walk in the shop and the will hill guy comes out and asks “are you Blacko”, I tell him “No fuck off” and give him the eyeball, poor fucker slipped back behind counter and didn’t say another word, I ain’t proud of that.

Edited October 19, 2021 by Blacko

[ryans_slots]

People rant on about crypto casinos are taking over... true but ask why? It's because these shitty regulations for most countries are FORCING them to different places to play at.
UK, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, (Norway I believe) all are fucked in terms of online absolutely destroyed.

Also people don't have time for these silly UK sites to respond... I'm STILL awaiting 2 weeks from today for a casino to get back to me in regards of a self exclusion which THEY put on me which I didn't ask for... numerous chats to live chat and nothing, screw WHITE HAT GAMING 100% its a simple process to re-open an account.

To add further to ^ SOW checks are the most annoying BS ever literally I'll never stop ranting on that.
RTP on UK sites are an absolute joke why would I want to play 86-91% on some games? :s where as '' OTHER '' sites I play at can play at max RTP and get some insane wins this year including my 32,000x win from a bonus buy.. yes bonus buys should of stayed in my opinion.

But obviously not everyone is in favour of that as some people got wrecked on bonus buys but I think that these game providers are more orientated towards bonus buys now for e.g NoLimitCity how many 5 scatter bonuses have you seen on normal spins - game San Quentin  hardly any because its near on impossible hence they push towards buying the bigger bonuses where you can achieve bigger wins n blah but yes they can be brutal also.

 

Things I'd be in favour of
Some said above about verify before deposit I agree, I also favour a type of '' Questionaire '' along with registration asking players some basic questions in terms of SOW, how gambling affects them, how long they spend, how they fund it, can they afford it and any other responsible gambling questions and then let the casinos decide whether those players should be allowed to open an account based on the results any red flags etc, and make it mandatory for these casinos to review the same questionaire upon registration every 12 months to see any differences.

Bonus buys capped at £500 per buy.

SOW,KYC,AML - checked upon registration and before deposit so these companies don't pester you for documents in 2011 where and why you spent £3 on a coffee or why you sent a friend £50.

Base set deposit limit e.g £1,000 per 24 hours & £5,000 per month, subject to request higher depending on their income.

 

[Bangers]

1 hour ago, Blacko said:

“are you Blacko”, I tell him “No fuck off” and give him the eyeball,

That's weird af

When they come out and say ............Are you Bangers ?

I say NAW I'm Blacko 

They then say .................Here you won a frisbee 

[Solario333]

SOW checks in my opinion may be necessary to prove the existence of legitimate funds , but in no way should a company have the right to question the individual about personal spending habits.  What is the point of data protection when a person, unknown to you ,may peruse your personal accounts !!!

Edited October 19, 2021 by Solario333

[Bangers]

2 hours ago, Blacko said:

Your absolutely right mate if there’s a way I would find it. Gamstop was the bizzo for problem gamblers till stake came along, there are many crypto currency casinos, the majority of them require verification as they don’t allow players from the UK. You could effectively win the lottery and lose it overnight on this casino, it’s fucking lethal. 
 

I don’t have much of a problem with the bookies these days, long gone are the days where I would have hundreds on horses, very much a small punter nowadays. I remember I barred myself years ago where my details and picture were on file, I walk in the shop and the will hill guy comes out and asks “are you Blacko”, I tell him “No fuck off” and give him the eyeball, poor fucker slipped back behind counter and didn’t say another word, I ain’t proud of that.

It's a game mate 

You and me were standing in the bookies long before the interweb was invented, I still remember standing in the bookies rolling the dice with my rent money and that was in the days before the shops had TV's 

The Interweb planted a lot of seeds and lots thrived, people that wouldn't normally dream of going either into a bookies or even a walk in casino have got involved but such is life some people will always get out of hand the same as drinkers, it can't be just a few beers or a social drink they need to keep going until they pass-out in a wheelie bin.

This site has all walks of life but I can read ''most people'' and I do that from experience, I will always respect the honesty in a gambler, that person that can say .............I've totally screwed up in grand fashion, I have no respect for the member / members that purely come on here ''JUST TO UPLOAD'' another BIG WIN thread or video, You play the games and So do I sometimes so we know how they play, but certain members who only come on to upload those threads or videos are making out they same games play differently for them and they don't, those people are false IMO.

Gamblers are the hidden addicts, you can walk down a Street and anyone that sees you wouldn't know that you blew 10k or more just before you left  the house, and people can do that and the freighting thing is..........They can do it from a phone. 

You and me have been at ground zero and it aint nice but we bounce back be that with deep wounds, but TODAY and in the future the internet is playing  the leading role in ruining peoples lives, just the adverts alone are disturbing for some of the youngsters, I really do fear the worst for some of the youth, they have EVERYTHING these days at the touch of a button. 

People are chasing uncatchable clouds yet some streamers advertise or give the impression they not only win,   but win big on a weekly basis.   

It's like most of the scratchcards they have bought are winners,  trouble is,  the vulnerable crowds that believe it. 

Edited October 19, 2021 by Bangers

[Bangers]

1 minute ago, Solario333 said:

What is the point of data protection when a person, unknown to you ,may peruse your personal accounts !!!

Couldn't agree more 

[ryans_slots]

10 minutes ago, Solario333 said:

SOW checks in my opinion may be necessary to prove the existence of legitimate funds , but in no way should a company have the right to question the individual about personal spending habits.  What is the point of data protection when a person, unknown to you ,may peruse your personal accounts !!!

I have been asked '' why have you sent ££ to this person named RSDE (I just randomly put a few letters like years ago when i set up the account as it was MY OWN) so sending from A to B they questioned me it on - L&L Brands lol

[Player1173]

I've never used a crypto casino, therefore I do not have first hand experience. However I do see the appeal of using one to get round bonus buys, especially when say Casinogrounds will put a weekly big win video up where most of the wins are from players/streamers buying the bonus to achieve huge wins...

Edited October 19, 2021 by Player1173

[Bangers]

1 hour ago, ryans_slots said:

I have been asked '' why have you sent ££ to this person named RSDE (I just randomly put a few letters like years ago when i set up the account as it was MY OWN) so sending from A to B they questioned me it on - L&L Brands lol

SOW for me is a massive step to far 

Never been asked for it but would tell them where to stick it the first time I do

As someone was saying a while back and I couldn't agree more with,  when you get some person doing a little job on the side for a few extra bucks ''to make ends meet'' it will be frowned upon with certain people that find out about it finger wagging or even stick that person in, how dare he or she do that. 

YEH like that doesn't go on in a much MUCH bigger scale and with people that have it all but still want more,  the Inland revenue or VAT man will ALWAYS be a lot more enthusiastic at pursuing the little guys over the big sharks,  the big sharks pay what they want.   

[Bangers]

4 minutes ago, Player1173 said:

I've never used a crypto casino, therefore I do not have first hand experience. However I do see the appeal of using one to get round bonus buys, especially when say Casinogrounds will put a weekly big win video up where most of the wins are from players/streamers buying the bonus to achieve huge wins...

Buying bonuses isn't a guaranteed fast-track way to a big win 

Fuckwits using a never ending bankroll of cartoon casino money ''UNTIL'' it eventually pays is the ''probable'' way for those said streamers that never lose, they can't bust out, we can.

Those people are not gambling in reality land. 

[Guest andywilliams1187]

1 hour ago, Bangers said:

It's a game mate 

You and me were standing in the bookies long before the interweb was invented, I still remember standing in the bookies rolling the dice with my rent money and that was in the days before the shops had TV's 

 

I fondly remember the old bookies. 

Going in with my dad, catching up with his mates (and mine) discussing silly bets. Everyone sat around smoking and moaning about the Mrs/work/rating the girls in the sunday sport hahahaha. Weird times but the only machine in there used to be a £25 fruity that hardly ever got touched. People still gambled, but it was more a social piece than actually trying to win serious money. 

Then the FOBT's came out and the smoking ban (not sure which came first) but in the end people stopped coming in, or those that did no longer socialised but just looked extremley pissed off and would do their bollocks on the FOBT's and shuffle off. 

It was decent back then (not that i condone heavy gambling or trying to romanticize it) but the staff knew your name, would have a laugh and a giggle with you and join in the banter etc. Like most things though, follow the money - the bookies saw an oppurtunity and seized it.  

[Bangers]

24 minutes ago, andywilliams1187 said:

Going in with my dad, catching up with his mates (and mine) discussing silly bets. Everyone sat around smoking and moaning about the Mrs/work/rating the girls in the sunday sport hahahaha.

That's a normal day in Chapelhall 

 

[Solario333]

1 hour ago, andywilliams1187 said:

I fondly remember the old bookies. 

Going in with my dad, catching up with his mates (and mine) discussing silly bets. Everyone sat around smoking and moaning about the Mrs/work/rating the girls in the sunday sport hahahaha. Weird times but the only machine in there used to be a £25 fruity that hardly ever got touched. People still gambled, but it was more a social piece than actually trying to win serious money. 

binations in a Then the FOBT's came out and the smoking ban (not sure which came first) but in the end people stopped coming in, or those that did no longer socialised but just looked extremley pissed off and would do their bollocks on the FOBT's and shuffle off. 

It was decent back then (not that i condone heavy gambling or trying to romanticize it) but the staff knew your name, would have a laugh and a giggle with you and join in the banter etc. Like most things though, follow the money - the bookies saw an oppurtunity and seized it.  

I entirely agree that for many years the bookies were a social and amusing way to wind away a few hours , sharing stories and tips , and banter ,with all the staff and punters on first name terms , and payouts happened without any question or problem . Bets were easy to place and I often placed 200+ on a horse and no-one  behind the counter had to check the computer to see if it was ok to take the bet . I miss those days ,but I miss the characters more !! I lost hugely when the FOBTs came out trying to beat them , and losing day after day until I realised that random meant something entirely different to my understanding . In the 70s bookies were great , after 88 it all went badly downhill as the computers took over . Even the staff couldn't tell you how many combinations a particular bet had ........

[Solario333]

1 hour ago, Player1173 said:

I've never used a crypto casino, therefore I do not have first hand experience. However I do see the appeal of using one to get round bonus buys, especially when say Casinogrounds will put a weekly big win video up where most of the wins are from players/streamers buying the bonus to achieve huge wins...

Bonus buys diminish the chances of normal spins to win big . 

[Bangers]

13 minutes ago, Solario333 said:

Bonus buys diminish the chances of normal spins to win big . 

It's also a way for the game to take in boulders over small stones 

Streamers ''the fake ones'' are the only people able to really show that style of play 

If Mr or Mrs Average player tries anything near that style of play they quickly work out ''financially'' it's not running like it was for Mr or Mrs bankrolled by the Casino  

[Bangers]

8 hours ago, andywilliams1187 said:

The £2 stake limit has hit the bookies hard, especially with the roulette games but it is still very easy to do large amounts. I've seen people lose over 1k in less than an hour on 2quid a spin. 

Yeh agree with that but the diehards around my town ''same people'' as before still fill the stools, I'm happy to always admit I'm a degen gambler and have zero to hide but I still feel it's disturbing when you walk past a bookies at 08:30 / 9am and when you look in the window on passing see people sitting playing those fobt's 

Even my degen ass can't compute that,  that's a different level. 

You can still do they stupid bigger stake bets on some made up special feature buys proving again they've gave things some thot and shuffled the deck / bent the rules, found another way to get the cash into them faster.