MPs urge UK government to conduct second Gambling Act review

The Health and Social Care Committee (HSCC) has called on the UK government to review the Gambling Act 2005 once again, amid growing concerns over a lack of player protection. 

In a letter addressed to Ashley Dalton MP, parliamentary under-secretary for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Layla Moran, chair of the HSCC, outlined several areas where the committee feels urgent action is required. 

The letter comes just over a month after a HSCC evidence session, which was followed by a meeting with charity Gambling with Lives on 22 April. 

Meanwhile, the previous Conservative government published its white paper into the Gambling Act 2005 review in April 2023, having pledged to review the legislation as part of its 2019 election manifesto.

The process was long delayed, with several government ministers responsible for the process taking on the mantle, while the government had three different prime ministers during the period.

The end result was more than 60 policy recommendations, which are now being worked through by the Gambling Commission (GC).

The HSCC, a cross-party entity, is made up of 11 MPs. Chaired by Liberal Democrat Moran, the committee is dominated by Labour MPs, plus two Tories.

While the committee stated that it welcomes the government’s “reframing” of gambling for it to be recognised as a public health issue, it has called on Labour to make full use of the “opportunities offered” by the statutory levy. 

The statutory levy came into effect last month and means licensed operators are now required to donate a portion of GGR to research, education and treatment services (RET), putting an end to the previous voluntary model. For most online gambling operators this is 1.1% of GGR.

A major gripe raised by the HSCC revolves around advertising regulation, with proposals for a restriction on gambling ads – which could potentially include a blanket ban on all pre-watershed marketing – as well as a clampdown on operators sponsoring sports teams and leagues. 

The letter cited research that claims 80% of the UK’s population is exposed to gambling ads on a weekly basis, and that academics have reaffirmed the potentially harmful impact this exposure could have on younger demographics. 

As a result, the committee expressed its wish that greater care is taken to ensure ads do not deliberately present the act of gambling in a way that appeals to children and young people, something the CAP Code already prohibits.  

The committee also noted: “We were particularly concerned to hear how intrusive and targeted some gambling promotion has become, including accounts of people receiving offers of free bets in the middle of the night.  

“Given this, it was unsurprising to hear that some individuals experiencing gambling-related harms say that it feels like ‘there is no escape’ from gambling.” 

The HSCC added that it hopes promotional materials designed to incentivise gambling could be subjected to a limit. It also expressed concern over operators storing user data and called on the GC and DHSC to collaborate and secure “greater transparency” over how this data is used. 

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), which will help oversee the new statutory levy, was said to be hamstrung without an effective advertising pushback.

The HSCC continued: “Given the strong evidence we heard about the impact of advertising, we do not see how OHID can effectively develop a strategy to prevent gambling-related harms without considering the regulation of advertising and broader commercial practices of the sector.” 

The letter went on to lay out the committee’s recommendation that the OHID work alongside the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Advertising Standards Agency (AGA) to review the current regulatory framework. 

The HSCC cited the OHID’s own data that claims there are 117 to 496 gambling-related suicides every year in England, before urging the office to produce a public information campaign raising awareness regarding the risks of gambling harm. 

However, these figures have regularly been debunked, as the suicide claim relates to a Swedish study that has long been regarded as incompatible in terms of its application to the UK, after Public Health England, OHID’s predecessor, extrapolated the data in 2021.

The concerns regarding treatment for gambling-related harm also stem from a lack of clarity over which body will be responsible for commissioning specialist treatment, given the government’s recent announcement of its decision to abolish NHS England. Up until now, specialist treatment services were commissioned jointly between NHS England and GambleAware. 

The HSCC called on the government to publish which organisation will have this responsibility and urged it to engage with the voluntary sector for independent advice.

Though the committee said it supports the recently released NICE guidelines (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) on the clinical treatment of gambling-related harm, it requested that the government makes clear how it will implement the guidance, as well as what support and training will be made available to medical professionals. 

Following the meeting with Gambling with Lives, the HSCC went on to note that a significant number of gambling-related suicides are not sufficiently investigated, meaning an opportunity to learn “vital lessons” about the issue is missed. 

“We ask that the government set out what steps it will be taking to raise awareness of gambling suicide among coroners and others involved in the investigation of sudden deaths, including what training will be provided,” wrote the HSCC. 

The letter concluded with the committee urging the government to undergo another review into the Gambling Act 2005.

The HSCC signed off: “We believe that the government should review the Gambling Act to ensure that the current legislative framework gives all agencies the power and responsibilities needed to deliver a total system response.” 

EGR has approached the Betting and Gaming Council for comment.

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 Health and Social Care Committee says government should revaluate several areas of contention in a bid to boost player protection
The post MPs urge UK government to conduct second Gambling Act review first appeared on EGR Intel.