A poll commissioned by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) revealed most Brits oppose the government telling them how much money they can spend on betting. Conducted by the British research and analytics firm YouGov, the survey established that only 27% of Great Britain’s residents favour the imposition of betting limits, while approximately 51% were against it.
These results may pressurise the UK authorities into dropping the proposed restrictions, which may cost the local racing industry £100 million in annual losses. Over 13,000 public submissions on the proposed affordability checks were sent to the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). The British gambling regulator is presently in the process of assessing the submissions before it decides what to do next.
One of the proposed regulatory changes is to enforce a £100 monthly loss limit on online bettors. Punters whose monthly losses reach this amount will have to undergo obligatory financial verification to establish whether they can support their gambling activities or not. The survey, which involved 1,683 adult participants, determined the vast majority of Brits oppose the introduction of said betting limits.
Around 22% of the survey participants responded they had no opinion on the matter when asked about their views. Many Brits worry the restrictions may force local punters to take their betting action to unregulated operators. Roughly 59% of the respondents believed this would be the case, while 10% expressed the opposite opinion.
A recent report published by the London-based PwC showed the number of wagers made on unregulated betting sites had increased from £1.4 billion to £2.8 billion over the past year. Despite the public opinion, some UK industry insiders spoke in favour of the betting restrictions. Michael Dugher, Chief Executive of the Betting and Gaming Council, said he supports both the betting limits and the affordability verification.
The Limits Might Adversely Affect the UK Horse Racing Industry
According to Mr Dugher, today’s advanced technology allows gambling operators to identify customers who begin to show signs of what he called “markers of harm”. Compulsive bettors and other people who are at risk might benefit from the affordability checks. However, the changes might adversely affect the local horse racing industry, which is heavily reliant on the funds it gets from betting levies, Mr Dugher said.
The BGC tackled the public opinion on betting in an individual study, conducted by the research firm Public First. The study involved twenty focus groups from Northern England and the Midlands. A recurrent theme during the focus group sessions was that many Brits view gambling as a normal social activity.
Now that the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, & Sport (DCMS) is amidst a review of the 2005 UK Gambling Act, many of the focus group respondents expressed fear the government may try to further control peoples’ lives in the wake of the restrictions imposed during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Dugher thinks the British government must take these findings into consideration and listen to the opinions of the voters from the red-wall constituencies of Northern England and the Midlands. Their votes will be instrumental in determining the outcome of the next election.
Voters from these marginal seats have grown cautious of the government telling them how to live, especially in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the BGC Chief Executive said. The BGC fully embraces the review of the British gambling legislation but lawmakers should “get those changes right”, Mr Dugher concluded.
- Author
Daniel Williams
