The UK Gambling Commission has joined the multi-jurisdictional testing framework (MJTF) scheme along with the Gambling Control Commission in Alderney, the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission and the Danish Gambling Authority.
Phase one of the MJTF has been drafted by the participating jurisdictional members above within the auspices of the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) to streamline the external gambling product testing processes.
Phase one of the pilot is limited to the operations of external testing laboratories and to the testing of random number generators (RNG) used in online gambling. At this stage the MJTF is only recognised by the pilot group of participating jurisdictions but it is hoped that other jurisdictions considering or currently regulating remote gambling will be able to join the scheme should it suit their testing assurance needs.
Helping regulators pool experience in fairness testing remote RNGs and games
A spokesman for the Commission said: “This will help regulators, especially those who rely on outsourced fairness testing, as it allows them to pool experience in the complex area of fairness testing remote RNGs and games. It will also benefit the industry by reducing testing duplication. The aim is for all participating jurisdictions to agree on common standards and then where one product operates in multiple jurisdictions operators can have the game tested to these standards and use the one test to satisfy the testing requirements of all participating jurisdictions.”
“Gambling Commission licence holders will still be required to adhere to our testing strategy which requires pre-release testing for all new and relevant updated RNGs and the submission of testing evidence prior to release, they can now use this one standard for testing which will be of particular benefit if they operate in all or some of the participating jurisdictions.”
Further phases of the MJTF will include game fairness testing, field product certification and information security.
Online gambling in Britain worth over £1.4 billion
For the first time, the Gambling Commission’s Industry Statistics includes five months’ worth of data from all operators offering online facilities to customers in Britain.
The statistics show that gross gambling yield from remote (online) gambling activities in Great Britain totalled just over £1.4 billion November 2014 to 31 March 2015. During this period there were 15.6 million active customers, an increase from 5.6 million during April 2014 – October 2014.
As of 30 September 2015 there were 719 remote gambling activity licences held by 427 operators.
Almost a year’s worth of online gambling data will be published in June 2016.
Edited from press release by Cecilia Rehn.
