The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Gambling Reform has launched a new inquiry into the future of regulation in Great Britain amid growing concerns of gambling harm as a public health issue.
The inquiry will run through 12 September and will seek evidence to support changes in regulation. Evidence sessions will be set up to discuss several key issues identified by the APPG.
These include analysing the suitability of all current regulations, policies and legislative frameworks in the UK. The Gambling Reform APPG will also consider how this legislation intersects with wider policy areas such as public health, financial services, the economy and taxation.
Other areas of focus will be harm prevention and the status of proposals in the Gambling Act white paper. These include the statutory levy and its implementation, stake limits, online slots stake limits, financial risk checks, and establishing an industry ombudsman.
In relation, it will evaluate the work of the Gambling Commission and other relevant bodies
The APPG also made clear the inquiry will cover both online and land-based gambling. With the latter, it will explore the suitability of the proposed new regulations in the white paper.
In addition, the inquiry will assess the need for policy and legislative reform in areas such as gambling advertising.
The APPG on Gambling Reform is the latest cross-parliamentary group focused on gambling activity in Britain. Its predecessor was the All Party Parliamentary Group on Gambling Related Harm chaired by MP Carolyn Harris.
Harris led the APPG on Gambling Related Harm for much of its life. Speaking to iGB in November 2020, at the height of the group’s influence, Harris said the “writing’s on the wall” for much of the British online gambling industry in terms of tighter regulations.
Harris said it was only a matter of time before new controls come into effect. Her comments proved to be accurate, with the 2023 white paper bringing changes across the industry.
The latest cross-party APPG is being led by Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP of the Conservative Party. Duncan Smith also chaired the APPG during its inquiry into the 2023 white paper.
He said the white paper marked a step in the right direction in addressing some of the core issues posed by gambling. However, he said the APPG believes more needs to be done to ensure the protection of people in Britain.
“It is clear that much more needs to be done to ensure our regulatory framework is fit for the digital age to protect people from harm,” he said. “This inquiry will play a crucial role in shaping our recommendations to government, and I strongly encourage organisations and individuals to submit evidence to help inform our work.”
Alex Ballinger, a Labour MP and vice chair of the APPG, agreed. He said the inquiry would help establish whether a new Gambling Act is required in Britain.
“Today’s gambling industry requires stronger and more effective regulation across a range of areas – from advertising and taxation to the future of land-based gambling,” he said. “This inquiry will be wide-ranging, including asking if it is time for a new Gambling Act.”
Similar calls for further gambling reform in the UK have come from Parliament’s Health and Social Care Committee. The committee wrote to the Department of Health and Social Care in May requesting that the government take further action to curb gambling harms. It also called for a second Gambling Act review.
But industry stakeholders, including the Gambling Commission’s CEO Tim Miller, raised concerns over the Health Committee’s parliamentary session and its subsequent letter. They said evidence was presented poorly or was largely misleading.
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