The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Paul Scully, said he wanted to see the white paper of the Government’s much-delayed review of the local gambling industry but was not able to say whether the results of the assessment would be published by the end of 2022.
Mr Scully, who took over the position in October 2022, revealed that the Government’s findings and proposals are expected to be published in the next few weeks.
The UK Government rolled out its gambling review about two years ago after issuing a manifesto pledge to make sure that the industry regulation is suitable for the digital age. As Casino Guardian reported, the white paper, however, has been delayed a few times. Originally, it was expected to be published in the summer of 2022 but progress on the matter was halted as a result of the political turmoil associated with then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
As previously revealed, the white paper is also important for the British racing sector because it is likely for punters’ affordability checks to be imposed. The possible implementation of intrusive affordability checks, under which customers would be required to provide financial information to prove their source of funds, could reduce annual revenues generated by racing by as much as £100 million.
The trade body that represents the legal gambling sector in the UK shared that a recent survey showed that almost 70% of punters said they would be unwilling to allow gambling companies to carry out compulsory affordability checks. Apart from that, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) warned that other issues covered by the review, such as gambling sponsorship deals in sports and gambling advertising could also have a negative impact on the local racing industry.
British Gamblers Remain Conservative towards Proposed Affordability Checks
Reportedly, the UK Government is planning to propose affordability checks that resemble so-called credit checks and are less intrusive. Other proposals expected to be made in the much-awaited white paper could involve a reduction of online slots’ maximum betting stakes to mirror the measure that had been imposed on brick-and-mortar gambling venues around the country, as well as the establishment of an ombudsman figure in order to ensure better protection of consumer rights.
As mentioned above, customers have so far responded somewhat conservatively towards the proposed affordability checks as many of them are unwilling to undergo the strict financial checks seeking to find out their source of funds.
According to reports, the new Prime Minister of the UK – Rishi Sunak – may be inclined to adopt a more firm approach to the industry through the upcoming gambling laws regulatory review. Rumour has it that Mr Sunak is willing to bring the process, which has already been delayed on multiple occasions, to an end and prove that the Cabinet does not follow a protectionism policy towards the gambling sector.
Reportedly, the British Prime Minister is likely to make sure that the long-awaited gambling review is quickly addressed and that the most important changes are implemented in order to make the country’s gambling laws more suitable for the digital age. In any case, Mr Sunak seems to be willing to pass both the White Paper and the Gambling Act Review as soon as possible to the benefit of both the gambling sector and the customers.
The tougher approach could help solve the long-overdue gambling sector review and could also help raise public approval of the measures taken by the Government to regulate the industry.
- Author
Daniel Williams
