Members of Parliament are set to examine the UK Government’s approach to gambling regulation after receiving warnings that more has to be done to protect people, especially underage individuals, from gambling-related harm.
The inquiry that has already been launched by the cross-party Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee is set to be investigating the progress that has been made by the Government in addressing the issues that had been previously raised by Parliament. It is set to consider how to make sure that the regulation can keep up with innovations in the digital gambling sector, as well as the links between professional sports, broadcasting groups and gambling operators.
A total of five questions have been included in the DCMS Committee’s inquiry:
- What is the extent of gambling-related harm in the country?;
- How broadly should the authorities draw the term “gambling?;
- What issues should be adopted as paramount priorities in the White Paper of the Government?;
- Can a regulator stay up-to-date with innovation in the sphere of digital gambling?;
- What additional problems arise when online gambling operators are based outside of the jurisdiction of the UK?
The inquiry is already accepting evidence, so anyone with answers to the questions included in the DCMS Committee’s call for evidence can submit them by February 10th, 2023.
The National Audit Office, the Public Accounts Committee, and a House of Lords Committee have urged the Government to take further action to prevent problem gambling and tackle gambling-related harm in the country. The bodies have also criticised both the country’s regulator – the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) – and the DCMS Department for their approach to the matter.
Regulated Industry’s Trade Body Sees Opportunity to Reiterate Commitment to Safe and Responsible Gambling
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has gladly accepted the recently unveiled inquiry of the DCMS Select Committee. According to the trade body representing the legal gambling operators in the country, the inquiry could be one more chance for the regulated gambling sector to reiterate its commitment to improving the standards in safer gambling and demonstrate its support for the UK economy.
The BGC noted that the current gambling addiction rates in the UK remain among the lowest in Europe, at 0.3%. The trade body also highlighted the fact that the legal gambling sector also supports 110,000 jobs across the country.
The trade body of the legal and regulated British gambling sector added that the inquiry should take into consideration the idea that further restrictions on the sector could result in an outflow of consumers to the unregulated black market, noting the examples of other European countries, such as Italy, France and Norway, in this regard.
Michael Dugher, the CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council, shared that the DCMS Committee’s inquiry, like the Gambling Review of the UK Government, will be evidence-led. He also shared that, in his opinion, the inquiry should find the right balance in making recommendations regarding the protection of the most vulnerable members of society, and at the same time not unfairly impacting the millions of players who gamble responsibly with local gambling operators.
- Author
Daniel Williams
