Remote and gambling software technical standards

[administrator]

Remote and gambling software technical standards
Gambling software and remote operating licence holders (including ancillary remote betting licence holders) are required to comply with the Gambling Commission’s technical standards and requirements relating to the timing and procedures for testing. This requirement is set out in Condition 2 of the Licence conditions and codes of practice - October 2008.

What are the remote and gambling software technical standards?
Remote and gambling software technical standards - August 2009 details the specific technical standards and the security requirements that licensed remote gambling operators and gambling software operators need to meet.

The RTS comprises the following:

Remote technical standards including information provision requirements.
Security requirements.
Technical standards
The technical standards cover:

customer account information
displaying transactions
rules, game descriptions and the likelihood of winning
time-critical events
result determination
result determination for play-for-fun games
generation of random outcomes
auto-play functionality
skill and chance games with auto-play
interrupted gambling
limiting collusion/cheating
financial limits
time requirements
responsible product design
information provision (Annex A).
Security requirements
The security requirements are based on international information security standards and are summarised in the technical standards document. A full version of the security requirements can be obtained in paper format from us.

The security requirements detail information security standards with the aim of ensuring that operators have appropriate controls in place so that customers are not exposed to unnecessary risks when choosing to participate in remote gambling.

The requirements apply to:

electronic systems that record, store, process, share, transmit or retrieve sensitive customer information - for example, credit/debit card details, authentication information, customer account balances
electronic systems that generate, transmit, or process random numbers used to determine the outcome of games or virtual events
electronic systems that store results or the current state of a customer’s gamble
points of entry to and exit from the above systems (other systems that are able to communicate directly with core critical systems)
communication networks that transmit sensitive customer information.
Testing strategy for compliance with remote gambling and software technical standards
The Testing strategy for compliance with remote gambling and software technical standards - August 2009 details:

what we would normally consider to be the types of testing required in order for us to be satisfied that the technical standards are being met
who we consider appropriate to carry out that testing
the procedures for testing.

It discusses the testing strategy for assessing compliance with the Remote and gambling software technical standards - August 2009.