With the long-expected White Paper on gambling expected to be published by the end of the week, British lawmakers once again faced calls to support stricter regulation of the sector and not yield to the strong gambling lobby that has long used its strong political connections to defend the interests of the industry in return to millions of pounds offered as political donations and personal incentives.
As mentioned above, the UK Government is expected to finally introduce its White Paper that would roll out reforms to the country’s gambling industry by the end of the week, having promised to do so in December 2020.
The reforms are expected to see a £2 limit introduced on stakes that young gamblers are allowed to place on online games. According to reports, the White Paper is also set to impose a statutory tax on gambling operators to force them to fund the treatment of problem gambling.
As Casino Guardian previously reported, a blanket ban on gambling advertising in the UK has also been proposed. Unfortunately, campaigners do not think that such a ban would be imposed in spite of the widespread public support for the measure. They have also been concerned about the efforts of local gambling operators to get Ministers’ support and make them water down the proposed restrictions by offering backbenchers some hospitality.
The UK Gambling Industry Faces Criticism over Strong Political Connections
The contributions made by local gambling companies in the form of political donations and hospitality have long been criticised as inappropriate.
Earlier in April, Scott Benton was suspended as a Member of Parliament from the Conservative Party after some revelations that he had been offering his help as an undercover lobbyist for the country’s gambling industry.
At the time, the director of Clean Up Gambling – Matt Zarb-Cousin – noted that British lawmakers should turn their backs on the gambling sector’s lobby and finally publish a robust White Paper that would make sure that all necessary measures are taken in order to ensure a safe, fair and transparent environment.
Will Prochaska, the strategy director of another charity organisation – Gambling With Lives – noted that the UK Government needs to finally release the long-expected White Paper after several years and multiple delays to demonstrate that it has not yielded to the powerful lobbying of the local gambling industry.
As Mr Prochaska explained, the sector should not be allowed to continue to sell harmful gambling products as safe, especially after several polls have shown that the public was willing to see further reforms, especially when it comes to gambling advertising. Campaigners have been sure that the Government’s action would make sure the most addictive gambling products become less harmful and the implementation of more restrictions in the sector, especially in terms of spin speeds and stake sizes, would help protect British residents from gambling-related harm.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) which is responsible for the White Paper and the future reform proposals has not commented on the matter so far.
- Author
Daniel Williams
