Government Set To Introduce Gambling Reform In New White Paper

Multiple news outlets this week have reported that the Government will soon be publishing a new White Paper addressing gambling reform in the UK. The White Paper is part of a wider review of the 2005 Gambling Act spurred into action by rising concern that not enough is being done to appropriately regulate online gambling.

Amongst the proposed changes to legislation in the White Paper is a new movement to restrict online gambling casinos to maximum stake limits of between £2 and £5. In addition, the White Paper also outlines plans to outlaw free bets and what the industry refers to as VIP packages. The report also proposes that gamblers should be subject to more ‘non-intrusive’ affordability checks which it is hoped will help gamblers play within their means.

The White Paper also looks to address gambling sponsorship, proposing that gambling companies will no longer be able to advertise on the shirts of premier league football teams.

According to statistics published by the Gambling Commission, this report will come at a time when online gambling is more popular than it has ever been in the UK- with one in four Britons making wagers.

Joining the call for greater control of the gambling industry in this country is the UK association of directors of public health (ADPH), who in a statement said that they recommend that bookmakers and other gambling providers remove ‘high risk’ products from their offerings. So far, however, the ADPH has not defined what kind of products fall into this category.

When gambling is considered from a safety perspective, the ADPH says that the Government need to take a public health approach. Meaning one that is “guided by a vision that priorities the public’s health, and that is based on core values and principles, such as human rights, equity, and collective responsibility.”

In a statement to the media, the ADPH said that “Gambling harms already reflect social and health inequalities; with potential to affect anyone but with greater harm where there is increased vulnerability in terms of mental health, income deprivation, age, gender, race, and ethnicity. Anyone may be vulnerable to gambling harm at some point in their lives. What we have at present is a gambling policy system and industry that creates, exacerbates, and exploits vulnerabilities, counter to the Government’s duty to protect the health and wellbeing of everyone.”

On the purveyor’s side of this issue, representing the gambling industry is the Betting and Gaming Council. In response to being notified of the paper and some of its contents, the BCG responded by saying in a statement that “We welcome the Government’s gambling review, and we strongly support many of the measures we expect to be in the forthcoming White Paper. Indeed, we have campaigned for many of them.”

Continuing by saying “On behalf of the 119,000 people whose jobs depend on the regulated betting and gaming industry, we will of course study the white paper when it is published, consider the impact it might have, and respond accordingly.”

However, unlike the Government or ADPH, the BCG make the point that more effort should be put into tackling the growing influence of the black-market gambling industry, which it says is causing a great deal of the harm currently being felt by the average punter.

The BCG said that “The latest statistics showed the rate of problem gambling in the year to March 2022 was 0.2% – down from 0.4% the year previous. However, the number of punters using the unsafe, unregulated black market has doubled in recent years to 460,000 and the amount being bet is now in the billions. The white paper will have to balance the need to protect the vulnerable and those at risk, whilst not driving the millions of people who enjoy a bet perfectly safely to the black market. They continued by saying “The Government can and should act without delay, and it should seek to use the powers it has in the current Gambling Act to avoid a lengthy and needless legislative process in Parliament.”

At this point in time, it seems that all groups concerned are convinced that significant reform needs to take place to improve the gambling industry. However, each group seems to differ on what the main focus of this reform should be. Only careful examination of the White Paper when it is published will discover what action is proposed to be taken.