The U.K. has begun a long-awaited review of gambling in all its facets.
Bring it on, said William Hill CEO Ulrik Bengtsson, while emphasizing the need for policymakers to strike a balance when assessing gambling laws.
In a statement sent to Gambling Insider, Bengtsson said: “Our industry is more committed than ever to keeping gambling as safe as possible and we have been getting on with raising standards. Whether it’s ensuring under-18s and vulnerable people are not exposed to gambling adverts or identifying at-risk players through technology, we are continually driving up standards to ensure gambling remains a safe and fun pursuit for millions of people in the U.K.”
The review could also roll back vast portions of the Gambling Act of 2005, according to The Guardian. Senior officials in Downing Street see gambling reform as a vote-winner, as well as the right thing to do. “The (prime minister) just sees it as people being exploited and it’s not him,” said one lawmaker.
Among the possible outcomes:
- A ban of sports sponsorships
- Limits to online casino stakes, prizes and spin speeds
- Tough affordability checks
- A testing regime for new products
- A mandatory levy to fund addiction treatment
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which oversees the review, will also determine whether operators should limit players’ monthly losses to ensure people are gambling within their means. They will also look at mandating a “single customer view” policy, where multiple firms pool information about potentially vulnerable customers.
The timing of the review coincides with the shift from land-based gambling to online verticals, according to SBCNews.
Sources said the review would also delve into marketing and advertising restrictions such as logos on football team jerseys. Promotional offers are also part of the scope, such as VIP schemes, bonuses and so-called “free bets.” VIP perks and financial incentives to keep betting have been a common feature.
The department promised to raise the minimum age for National Lottery ticket and game purchases from 16 to 18.
The U.K. gambling industry’s lobby group, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) said tightening regulations too far could fuel black market operations. “As the standards body for the regulated industry, we strongly welcome the launch of the government’s review,” BGC Chief Executive Michael Dugher said. “We called for it to be wide-ranging and evidence-led, and it provides an important opportunity to drive further changes on safer gambling introduced by the industry in the past year.”
Dugher urged the government to carefully consider the financial contributions that the betting industry makes, warning that too many restrictions will have detrimental effects on sponsorship agreements and the tourism industry.
“Our members do not allow betting by under-18s, so we welcome in particular confirmation of the Government’s decision to ban 16 and 17-year-olds from playing the National Lottery,” he said.
Horse racing receives over £350 million (US$465.7 million) per year through the horse racing industry levy, media rights and sponsorships, while betting companies spend over £40 million a year on the English Football League and its clubs.”
Addressing the House of Commons, Nigel Huddleston, DCMS Minister for Sport, said there will be no knee-jerk response in its duties to review U.K. gambling: “We will listen and gather the evidence required to govern gambling for the next ten years, and beyond.”
DCMS also spoke of the industry’s contribution to the economy: almost 100,000 people employed, paying approximately £3 billion per year in taxes and representing £8.7 billion or 0.5 percent of the U.K.’s gross value added. Still, DCMS countered with the consequences of problem gambling, citing instances of family debt, criminality, mental health and physical abuse.
DCMS acknowledged the betting sector’s commitment to help the National Health Service in support of specialist clinics to treat gambling-related harms. The biggest operators will contribute a combined £100 million to help fund problem gambling treatment and research over the next four years.
A revaluation of the U.K. Gambling Commission will be carried out, with DCMS expected to observe whether changes to gambling laws and governance would lead to significant or emerging black-market threats.
Flutter Entertainment is expected to come up against a series of regulatory changes in its home markets of Ireland and the U.K., so they hope to play an active role in the review. “It will allow us to build on recent efforts by the industry to improve customer safety for the millions of people who enjoy our products and in particular help the small number who have experienced problems with their gambling,” said Ian Proctor, executive chairman of Flutter’s U.K. and Irish division.
Swansea East MP Carolyn Harris, chair of the All-Party Political Group on Gambling Related Harm, has led the charge for tighter restrictions.
“I very much welcome the launch of the Gambling Review, something which I and many others have long been calling for. I hope we are at a turning point in the reform of our wholly outdated gambling legislation,” Harris said.
The current legislation is “an analogue law in a digital age,” the government said, according to BBC News. Proctor warned of “unintended consequences” if regulations were not thought through and said that grassroots sports could suffer if sponsorship was restricted.
“We take [problem gambling] incredibly seriously… but let’s also get this in a little bit of context,” he told the BBC. “For millions of people every week, they enjoy a bet, it’s a leisure activity, and it gives people a lot of pleasure. For some people it’s not, for a small minority. And we need to make gambling safer for those people.”
The Gambling Health Alliance, an umbrella group for 50 charities and academics, wants a focus on the damage gambling can do to public health. The group’s chair, Duncan Stephenson, said for the past 15 years, the public had been at the mercy of a gambling industry which has taken advantage of “sluggish and inadequate” regulation.
“We have seen the devastating effects of this on lives lost and ruined, with gambling companies shamelessly exploiting the young and vulnerable, making obscene amounts of money at the expense of some of our most deprived communities,” he said.
Meanwhile, the BGC has announced that member operators in the country have more than the doubled the number of online responsible gaming messages displayed since March, when the organization launched its 10-point Covid-19 action plan, and also increased such messaging in direct-mail appeals.
According to CDC Gaming Reports, the BGC says the volume of online RG messages increased by more than 100 percent in the period, and the number of individual customers receiving safer gambling messages via direct mail also increased by 150 percent.
Other findings include an 89 percent increase in the number of direct emails that include a safer gambling message, as well as a 25 percent increase in the number of interventions by operators when a player has been spending more money or time betting than they did before the pandemic.
“The Betting and Gaming Council was set up last year as a standards body committed to driving big changes across much of the regulated industry,” said BGC Chief Executive Michael Dugher.
“These latest findings show that the BGC has led the way and is achieving real results on safer gambling.”
