The Future of the Gambling Act: Secretary of State Urged to Push Ahead with Review White Paper
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has asked Lucy Frazer MP to continue the Gambling Act review White Paper, now that she has assumed her role as Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport.
The reshuffle saw the DCMS drop its responsibility for digital and tech oversight, with Michele Donelan taking on the newly created role of Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology (SIT).
Appointment of Lucy Frazer MP
The BGC Chief Executive Michael Dugher welcomed Frazer on her appointment, stating that she is well-liked and respected across Parliament. Frazer’s appointment comes at a crucial time for the betting and gaming industry, which generates £4.2bn in taxes for the Treasury and contributes £7.1bn to the UK economy in terms of gross value added.
Delayed Gambling Act Review
The Gambling Act review has been ongoing since December 2020 and has been delayed multiple times. The review was consistently sidelined due to changes in government, but PM Rishi Sunak made it clear that the review was back on the agenda.
Paul Scully MP, the third Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Tech and the Digital Economy (Gambling Minister), stated that the White Paper would be published in the coming months.
Issues Awaiting Government Decisions
Stakeholders are still awaiting government decisions on various issues such as sponsorship, affordability checks, sponsorship, and marketing, as well as research, education, and training (RET) funding.
The BGC has called for big changes in standards of safer gambling and for an ombudsman to improve consumer redress. The BGC also hopes that Frazer will reject calls for new taxes on the industry, as the sector is recovering from the pandemic and facing tough economic headwinds.
The BGC has urged the new Secretary of State to listen to the millions of punters who are concerned about blanket affordability checks and to “avoid interfering with many people who bet safely and responsibly. It is time for the government to end the uncertainty and publish the White Paper as soon as possible.”
