If you live anywhere in the United Kingdom and enjoy playing online poker, it may become a little more difficult to access the virtual tables. The UK is invoking filters to block adult content over the internet, and that includes online gambling websites.
Conceptually, it’s a great idea. The purpose is to block underage users from gaining access to adult material over the world wide web. So for those who rightfully enjoy online poker, casino gambling and sports betting, you’ll need to take a few extra steps to get from point A to point B.
The move stems from a plan set in motion by Prime Minister David Cameron in 2013. It requires Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to put filters in place that automatically block all adult rated content from being accessed by customers. The only way to have the block removed is for a user to call their ISP, or log into their ISP account and manually remove the block.
On July 22, 2013, Prime Minister Cameron addressed the issue of internet pornography in a speech hosted by the NSPCC. He said that “online pornography is corroding childhood,” calling it a “direct danger to our children that must be stamped out.
“Now, I’m not making this speech because I want to moralise or scaremonger but because I feel profoundly, as a politician and as a dad, that the time for action has come,” said the Prime Minister. “This is, quite simply, about how we protect our children and their innocence.”
Internet Porn vs Online Poker
Realistically, comparing internet pornography with online poker doesn’t offer too many similarities. In fact, the only congruency between the two is that a person must be considered a legal adult to access them. As such, both fall into the category of ‘adult content’, along with things like racially charged and violent content.
Two British ISPs, Sky and TalkTalk, have just completed the integration of their adult content filters, available automatically and free of charge to all customers. Each service covers all internet-capable devices in the home, including laptops, PCs, video game consoles and mobile devices.
How to access online gambling sites post-blockage
Users of Sky who want to play online poker can call Sky customer support, or log into their account, click “My Sky” and choose “Your Broadband Shield” from the drop down menu. From there, the user can toggle on/off each of the 13 adult content categories, including “online gaming”. You can view the Sky Broadband Shield demo here.
For TalkTalk customers, the HomeSafe filter can be deactivated by calling customer support, or logging into your TalkTalk account and adjusting the settings. However, HomeSafe doesn’t have quite as many filtering options as Sky. The HomeSafe KidSafe mode can either be toggled on or off (i.e. allow all or no adult content).
Two other major ISP services, British Telecom and Virgin Media, are also preparing to launch adult content filters in the near future, but neither will integrate them on an automatic or mandatory basis. If users of these services wish to activate the content blocker, they must do so manually.
Although blocking their customers from accessing parts of the world wide web is not something most ISPs delight in, enforcing filters was met with a much more affable reaction than last year’s plan. In January of 2014, the UK government asked them to insert warnings messages anytime a user logged onto an unauthorized online gambling website. The ISPs rejected that plan outright.