British gamblers could face some new limits when gambling online if the Government decides to take into account the demands of more than 160 Members of Parliament (MPs) for bold reforms to tackle gambling.
In a letter to The Telegraph, the MPs and some campaigners, including the former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, the former BBC chairman Lord Grade, and 18 bishops, warned the UK Government that over 55,000 children between the age of 11 and 16 are currently categorised as problem gamblers.
They revealed that a Public Health England (PHE) analysis suggested that gambling’s economic and social cost was worth no less than £1.27 billion on annual basis. The analysis also noted that the aforementioned social and economic costs could range from family breakdowns and various health harms to unemployment and serious financial issues, including bankruptcy.
Currently, it is the final countdown to the long-expected UK Government’s white paper on gambling, which is set to be officially unveiled in the New Year. Now, through the letter sent to The Telegraph, the MPs and campaigners have called for the Prime Minister to dauntlessly deliver the much necessary gambling reforms aimed at preventing gambling-related harm to further spread across the UK. According to them, it is high time for the Government to bring the commitments made by the Conservatives in 2019 to life and level up the country’s gambling laws.
UK Government Should Protect Vulnerable Gamblers from Gambling-Related Harm, Campaigners Say
As mentioned above, some of the proposals backed by the 160 Members of Parliament and peers from all-party groups include the implementation of spending limits for British customers as part of the planned gambling reforms. According to the campaigners, the UK Government needs to curb the scale of betting and gambling by imposing some limits for local consumers in order to protect them from possible negative effects of compulsive gambling.
The proposed changes include the implementation of some online gambling limits in line with the ones that currently apply to high-street betting shops. Gambling companies that fail to fall in line with the requirements would risk losing their operating licences in the UK.
UK gamblers could be limited to spending £100 a month if the proposal is brought into effect. Also, a maximum online bet of £2 has been proposed as part of the changes, along with requirements for gambling operators to apply strict affordability checks to their customers in order to make sure they do not spend more money than they can actually afford to.
Ministers also called for the Government to suspend the so-called “VIP schemes” offered by bookmakers to local customers. Campaigners have described such schemes and enticements as “immoral” and believe that gambling companies should not be allowed to treat high-spending consumers differently to stimulate them with special inducements of bonuses only to make them spend more money on their services.
As Casino Guardian has already reported, the UK Government is currently considering stricter rules on gambling advertising, including the suspension of gambling companies’ logos on football shirts and stadiums.
- Author
Daniel Williams
