The U.K. gambling industry has been in an extended “Waiting for Godot” moment for several years as the “white paper” promising reforms of the 2005 Gambling Act appeared ready to make its entrance, only to be delayed again—and again.
However, iGB reports that the new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak could intervene to advise gambling minister Paul Scully (whose actual title is Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Tech and the Digital Economy) on the awaited revisions and quoted Scully that the document could be released “in the next few weeks.”
The latest delays were, of course, caused by the chaos that resulted from the fall of two prime ministers over the summer, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, and before that by the intervention of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Scully’s remarks on the timeline were made at the Betting and Gaming Council annual meeting on January 26. He said, “[W]e do want to have the white paper out in the next few weeks.” But he added, “I want to be clear though, that the white paper is not the final word on gambling reform. It will be followed by consultations led by both DCMS (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) and the Gambling Commission. I want the industry to stay engaged as policies are refined, finalized and implemented.”
Scully concluded, “We are putting the finishing touches to our white paper, making the final decisions and preparing for publication. We’re a matter of weeks away from you all seeing it, and then we can start the process of nailing down details and implementing reforms.”
While pointing out that the gaming sector contributes significantly to the British economy and treasury, Scully said the extra time on the regulations is being spent to protect the vulnerable from harm. He said, “There are, to be blunt, still too many failings happening.” He added, “Some customers continue to slip through protections and are allowed or even encouraged to spend too much.”
He continued, “Some go on to suffer real and serious harm, including taking their own life in extreme cases.” The revisions of the Gambling Act provide an opportunity “to make sure we have the balance right.”
There are limits to how much the government should intervene in personal financial matters, however, he said. Unlike other European countries, the U.K. won’t be imposing affordability checks or limiting spending. “Let me be really clear here,” he said. “It is not the role of government to tell people how much of their salary they are ‘allowed to’ spend on gambling.”
