How bingo operators can tick all the boxes when it comes to age checks

By Tony Allen, founder and CEO of Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS), the independent organisation that ensures robust age check practices are followed by providers of age-restricted goods, content and services.

It would be an understatement to say that it’s not been an easy 14 months for bingo operators. But, with the end finally in sight and venues officially being given the greenlight to reopen, now’s the time to get ready to thrive in 2021. One of the things set to impact all operators this year is the government’s ongoing review of the Gambling Act, which is set to bring regulations into the digital age and protect children and vulnerable people. With a whitepaper expected by the end of the year, operators would be wise to put in processes and procedures to get themselves in good shape ahead of any changes.  

Customer and age verification plays a key part in the current iteration of the Gambling Act, and will continue to do so in any revised versions. Effective verification is crucial to protect businesses from not only underage, but also problem or prohibited gamblers. Plus, with many bingo venues also selling alcohol and other age restricted products, it can be easy to get into hot water if age verification isn’t taken seriously.  

Worryingly, underage gambling is on the rise: research from GambleAware last year revealed that over 50% of UK 17-year-olds are participating in some form of gambling activity. Concerning when you consider the legal gambling age is 18. At ACCS, age verification is something we are constantly supporting. We have previously partnered with a nationwide bingo brand to implement an industry-leading age verification programme across more than 440 establishments. As part of this, we helped to initiate a test purchasing exercise to prove that members conform to the highest industry standards of underage gambling prevention.  

How we do it  

Our service ensures that rigorous age check practices are followed by providers of age-restricted goods, content and services, through a combination of robust processes, custom-built technology and a team of fully qualified trading standards and audit professionals. This can take the form of both in person and online test purchasing.  

While our work with the bingo company was put temporarily on hold due to lockdown, we’ve now fully restarted test purchasing and will be sending our test purchasers to check that establishments comply with the relevant legislation, while also assessing its due diligence and monitoring activities. We’ll then compile test reports for each operator, these reports are recognised by the UK Gambling Commission and international regulators as evidence that age verification requirements are in place and being met. The data that we gather as part of the tests will also help the company to perform statistical analysis that pinpoints how its age verification processes can be further improved.  

Bingo wheel at a premise of the gambling industry

Tacking problem areas  

In our work with the bingo company, we’re organising and delivering the tests, as well as providing advice, highlighting problem areas and creating tailored solutions to address these.  

Problem areas can be far-reaching, and from our experience to date can vary significantly from operator to operator. Firstly, the fact there are often multiple services within a bingo club that require age verification - from slot machines to bars selling alcohol – can pose a problem. While the industry tends to choose to apply a no under 18s policy, this isn’t the case across the board. We recommend that age checking takes place at the door and inside clubs and that age check posters and signage are displayed, to create an expectation of challenge – particularly in the case of those operators that do allow under 18s in the premises.  

Also, how employees are trained to deal with age verification varies significantly from venue to venue, meaning consistent training for them is imperative. However, this doesn’t always happen and can vary in quality. As a minimum, you should regularly remind your employees of the rules concerning age restricted goods, but to be fully protected, it would be wise to put staff through a structured training programme when they begin their role. Any training programme should use certified materials and be recorded.  

Achieving consistency across multiple branches can also be tricky. Even if some branches are doing verification brilliantly and staff are properly trained up, if other branches in a chain are performing poorly, it can damage reputation across the board. Again, here it can help to put in place consistent processes across all branches and regularly refresh training programmes. We recommend that all sites are checked quarterly.  

Ensuring safe environments for all  

As bingo operators plan for the future, and hopefully a fruitful year, they must ensure they have appropriate age check processes in place. All operators have a responsibility to prevent underage gambling within the licensed bingo industry, and this will only become more important as a spotlight is shone on the sector during the updated gambling review later this year. With age checking in gambling establishments needing to be carefully considered and rigorously assessed - and requiring lots of specialist considerations and knowledge - we’re happy to be playing our part in helping operators comply with regulations.  

• To find out more information, visit https://www.accscheme.com/sectors/gambling/bingo or get in touch with Obi Udanoh at obi.udanoh@accscheme.com.
  
  
  

You can also read this article at www.bingoconnect.co.uk