The latest release from the UK Gambling Commission’s press office reminds punters to ensure their FIFA World Cup bets are fair and safe by using a licensed betting operator. The Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS) has distributed guidelines to help betting operators avoid disputes during the tournament and published a complementary guide for punters on their website at www.ibas-uk.com.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is expected to be one of the largest sports betting events ever for British-based operators. The Gambling Commission says all licensed betting operators must make their rules available to customers and have a written complaints procedure including a third party dispute resolution service such as IBAS in place. All premises-based betting operators in Britain must be licensed by the Commission and advice on betting on the internet is available from the Commission’s quick guide ‘What to look out for when gambling online’, available at www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk.

The Commission’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Julia Mackisack said: “The World Cup is likely to attract new customers to betting. People should ensure they use an operator who they can rely on to have adequate standards in place. Disputes can arise, especially where extra time is played and whilst customers are advised to check on the rules before betting, all operators licensed by the Gambling Commission must have a complaints procedure in place to give customers a fair deal.”

Having offered advice on World Cup betting, the latest bulletin from the Gambling Commission says that field work on the British Gambling Prevalence Survey (BGPS) 2010 has been completed. The BGPS 2010, the third nationally representative survey of participation in gambling and the prevalence of problem gambling in Great Britain, builds on the two previous gambling prevalence surveys published in 2000 and 2007. The findings of the BGPS will be used by the Commission to help develop policy for the regulation of gambling and to advise the Secretary of State on gambling issues. It will also provide information on gambling to the industry, problem gambling charities and other key stakeholders.

The peer reviewed BGPS report will be published around the turn of the year, in February 2011 and the full data set of the survey will be made available in the UK Data Archive in spring 2011. (E-06.14.10)

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