The Gamblers Consumer Forum (GCF), which opposes many reforms proposed by the U.K.’s gambling white paper, and which bills itself as the “voice of gamblers” is co-owned by a consultant for the industry, the Guardian reported August 8.
The GCF sells itself as acting for the average gambler, and is actively lobbying against the government’s proposed changes, especially the proposed affordability checks. It also criticizes what it calls “misinformation” about gambling addiction, a discussion it argues has been “politicized.”
The white paper was finally released in April after many months of delay. It proposes tighter restrictions on betting firms that are all aimed at consumer protection. The new proposals require several months of “consultations” before they can become law.
According to the Guardian, the GCF’s website includes “misleading” material and is run by Andrew Woodman, an assistant to Andrew Bridgen, a former Conservative Party MP, who was ejected from the party during the Covid-19 pandemic for his anti-vaccine opinions; and Abbie MacGregor, a former parliament researcher.
However, MacGregor and Bridgen co-own the company behind the GCF website with Stephen Donoughue, an industry consultant who advises firms that want a gambling license. Before forming his own company, Donoughue was secretary for 15 years of a group of MPs who support gambling.
The three are shareholders in AAS Communications, which was formed in May 2023. The website came two months later.
One claim that the GCF website has made that experts on gambling harm take extreme exception to is that “99.8 percent of British adults gamble without an issue.” The Guardian points out that, according to a survey by the National Health Service only half of U.K. adults gamble at all, and of those who do, 1.7 percent are at moderate risk or are experiencing some form of gambling addiction.
When contacted by the Guardian, GCF promised to change the wording. But it also defended its claim by noting that it did not include “sub-clinical” definitions of gambling risk.
