Gambling remains today the great pastime of the Italians. Betting, online casinos, slot machines: they are points of reference for millions of users
In recent years, online gaming continues to grow and multiply, even surpassing traditional gaming channels, thanks also to the most advanced technologies in the sector.
In 2019, according to the Blue Book of the Customs and Monopoly Agency, the Italians played 31.4 billion euros on virtual gaming alone.
Clear and incontrovertible data not only in Italy but in the world, where the online game is now more and more in breach and with a cadence that is nothing short of sensational. It is no coincidence that it is online gaming that has best absorbed the effects of the lockdown and Covid-19.
The clientele is growing, on a par with the expenditure of users and the alternatives that emerge from everywhere. But according to experts, the unbridled accessibility of gambling can be an exposed health risk. All the more so after several months of imprisonment.
Hence the need for clear and rigid regulation which allows to protect the psychophysical health of the consumer, first of all preserving the real objective of the game: the enjoyment of the consumer himself.
The first steps to be taken in this context must be taken in the design of the games already in the development phase. Graphics, sounds and colors can induce a state of addiction in the consumer.
England, a code of ethics arrives to regulate online slot machines
This is why the first steps were taken from the world homeland of gambling, England, towards the adoption of a package of measures in the design of slot machines. With parameters: game speed to slow down and controversial features to block.
First of all, it means a stop to the turbo modes of the games, the same ones that allow the player to accelerate, and to the multi-slot modes, where a player can place multiple bets at the same time on multiple games. The minimum speed included in the new code calculates a game cycle of 2.5 seconds. But it doesn’t stop there because the gambling industry will change the labeling of games, with the aim of increasing the understanding of some key terms that may be controversial.
A code that would be to the clear advantage of the many operators in the legal sector. And that would greatly benefit not only operators but also consumers. Many of the most important operators in Europe, among which the Swedish online casino giant StarVegas stands out, are ready to integrate these measures into their platforms, changes that are facilitated by collaborations with some of the best software houses on the market, such as Novomatic, Mag Elettronica, Capecod and NetEnt. These measures, together with the contribution of the protocols for Responsible Gaming and the eCogra certification, are intended to strengthen the measures for the protection of players and for pushing online gambling into a new era.