Gambling regulation

Culture, Media and Sport Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 21 Dec 2022 Closed: 21 May 2024 Parliament page
MPs are to examine the Government’s approach to the regulation of gambling, following warnings that more needs to be done to protect people, including children, from gambling-related harm. The DCMS Committee inquiry will be investigating the progress the Government has made in addressing the issues raised by Parliament, how to … Read more
23 Recommendations
5 Conclusions
1 Report
4 Oral sessions
14 Letters
4 Events
Activity timeline 20 events
21 May
2024
Correspondence
19 Apr
2024
Report published
21 Feb
2024
Correspondence
6 Feb
2024
Correspondence
21 Dec
2023
Report published
13 Dec
2023
Correspondence
12 Dec
2023
Correspondence
21 Nov
2023
Correspondence
14 Nov
2023
Correspondence
18 Oct
2023
Correspondence
19 Sep
2023
Correspondence
12 Sep
2023
Correspondence
Oral evidence sessions 4 sessions
5 Sep 2023
View on parliament.uk
Andrew Rhodes · Gambling Commission Ben Dean · Department for Culture, Media and Sport Rt Hon Stuart Andrew MP · Department for Culture, Media and Sport Sarah Gardner · Gambling Commission Tim Miller · Gambling Commission
18 Jul 2023
View on parliament.uk
Charles Ritchie · Gambling with Lives Dr James Noyes · Social Market Foundation Dr Matthew Gaskell · NHS Northern Gambling Service Professor Heather Wardle · University of Glasgow Will Prochaska · Gambling with Lives
11 Jul 2023
View on parliament.uk
John White · Bacta Michael Dugher · Betting and Gaming Council Miles Baron · Bingo Association Wes Himes · Betting and Gaming Council
16 May 2023
View on parliament.uk
Anna Hargrave · GambleAware Anna Hemmings · GamCare Matthew Hickey · Gordon Moody
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Second Report - Gambling regulation HC 176 21 Dec 2023 28 Response document linked
Recommendations & Conclusions
28 results
1 Recommendation
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Publish detailed timetable for delivery of Gambling White Paper proposals and legislation.
It is welcome that the Government and Gambling Commission are proceeding with the various consultations on the White Paper at pace, but delivering its main proposals by summer next year will be challenging and at risk from wider political events. … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
2 Recommendation
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Ensure thorough White Paper consultations receive input from an appropriate range of stakeholders.
Though speed is a necessity, the Government and Gambling Commission must ensure that the White Paper consultations are thorough and receive input from an appropriate range of stakeholders.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
3 Conclusion
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Annual fee adjustment power will properly resource Gambling Commission for White Paper reforms.
We welcome the forthcoming review of the Gambling Commission’s fees and the proposal to give the Commission the power to adjust its own fees annually. These will be vital to ensure the regulator is properly resourced to implement the White … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
4 Recommendation
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Address unlicensed gambling sites targeting self-excluded users through new legislative powers.
We consider that while it will be important to monitor the size of the black market in response to greater regulation, more pertinent is the fact that, right now, a number of easily-accessible illegal sites are targeting some of those … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
5 Recommendation
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Require the Gambling Commission to set out plans to improve black market monitoring
While the black market is a risk the Government and Gambling Commission must be mindful of, it should not deter appropriate regulation of the licensed sector. The debate about the threat posed by the black market partly stems from a … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
6 Recommendation
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Oversee a pilot of new financial risk checks to determine customer acceptability and thresholds
While we support the principle of financial risk checks, the Government must ensure they are minimally intrusive, and that customers’ financial data are properly protected. The Government and the Gambling Commission must also establish what level of “friction” involved in … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
7 Recommendation
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Require Government and Gambling Commission to detail progress on single customer view mechanism
Financial risk checks will only be fully effective in preventing harm when they work across all online operators with whom a customer has an account. In its response to this report, the Government and the Gambling Commission must set out … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
8 Recommendation
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Require Government to consider point-of-sale risk information for online gambling products
We support the White Paper’s proposals to make online gambling products safer by design. Improving understanding of what affects products’ risk of harm should be a priority, and Government should keep its position on a safety testing regime under review … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
9 Recommendation
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Set online slots stake limits to match land-based machines and not exceed £5
The high degree of accessibility of online slots negates the additional protection provided by account-based play. Setting a limit for online slots at the same level as Category B gaming machines, at between £2 and £5, takes account of the … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
10 Recommendation
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Compel operators to encourage deposit limits and mandate them for vulnerable customers
We welcome further work on proactive tools. Operators should be compelled to proactively encourage customers to set online deposit limits. Where potential harm of financial vulnerability is indicated, online deposit limits should be mandatory. (Paragraph 51) Children and young adults Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
11 Recommendation
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Review the case for banning children's access to all social casino games
Social casino products are the latest example of the convergence between video games and gambling. Though it has responded to the specific issue of loot boxes, the Government must address this wider trend to ensure harms, particularly to children, are … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
12 Conclusion
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Ensure enhanced young adult gambling protections do not encourage false age declarations
We support the proposed introduction of enhanced online gambling protections for young adults aged 18–24. The Government, Gambling Commission, and gambling operators must ensure these measures do not unintentionally lead to more adults in this age group giving a higher … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
13 Conclusion
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Commission independent longitudinal research on gambling advertising link to harm, including for women and children
There is an urgent need to better understand the effects of gambling advertising on the risk of harm. The evidence for a link between advertising and gambling harm currently appears much stronger than evidence indicating there is a risk of … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
14 Recommendation
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Implement further regulation on gambling advertising beyond current government proposals
While the existing evidence base does not show a causative link between gambling advertising and harm, it seems clear that advertising encourages participation in gambling and that this effect is more pronounced for children and those vulnerable to gambling harm. … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
15 Recommendation
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Require gambling sponsorship code to reduce adverts and mandate more safer gambling messaging.
The withdrawal of gambling sponsorship from the front of Premier League players’ kit is welcome, but it will not significantly reduce the volume of gambling adverts visible during top-flight matches. The Government must work with the Premier League and the … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
16 Recommendation
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Require sporting bodies to publish the gambling sponsorship code without further undue delay.
The publication of the Code has been delayed repeatedly which is highly regrettable. The Government should require the relevant sporting bodies to publish the Code, incorporating the committee’s recommendations, without further undue delay. (Paragraph 86) Land-based gambling Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
17 Recommendation
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Ensure customers can continue using cash payments on electronic gaming machines after cashless introduction.
We support the introduction of cashless payments for electronic gaming machines, provided they are subject to an equivalent level of friction to cash payments. We recommend that customers who prefer to pay on electronic gaming machines using cash should continue … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
18 Recommendation
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Require Government and Commission to publish monitoring plan for land-based gambling reform impacts.
The accessibility of online gambling means that some of the supply-level restrictions on the land-based sector are less relevant than when the Gambling Act 2005 was passed. The Committee therefore considers that the White Paper’s proposed reforms to modernise land-based … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
19 Recommendation
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Provide councils with guidance on applying cumulative impact assessments to gambling premises and review effectiveness.
We welcome the proposal to allow local authorities to use cumulative impact assessments (CIAs) in handling gambling premise licence applications. The Government must ensure councils are given guidance on how CIAs can be applied to gambling premises. It must also … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
20 Recommendation
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Ensure Horserace Betting Levy settlement mitigates White Paper reforms' impact on the racing industry.
The Government must ensure that the new settlement arising from the review of the Horserace Betting Levy mitigates the impact of the White Paper’s reforms on the racing industry and ensuring British racing’s future. We support the proposal for a … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
21 Recommendation
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Publish timetable for White Paper proposals delivery, including statutory levy and minimising transition disruption.
We reaffirm our recommendation for the Government to set out a timetable for the delivery of each of the White Paper’s main proposals, including implementation of the statutory levy, in response to this report. The Government should set out how … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
22 Conclusion
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Proposed statutory levy structure adequately addresses land-based costs and boosts research funding.
We support the proposed structure of the statutory levy. This gives due consideration to the higher overhead costs of land-based operators and the lower rates of problem gambling associated with the sector as a whole, while also ensuring a substantial … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
23 Recommendation
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Develop national strategy with measurable targets to reduce gambling harms post-statutory levy.
We support the proposed governance structure for the statutory levy. However, the Government must ensure that levy funds are clearly ringfenced for the purposes of understanding, preventing, and treating gambling harm. It must also use the levy to improve the … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
24 Conclusion
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Gambling data remains problematic; new research must be accurate, representative, and understood.
We recognise that much of the data relating to gambling is contested, misapplied, or entirely absent, and welcome that actions from the Government’s White Paper and changes to the Gambling Commission will mean that more research evidence can be commissioned. … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
25 Recommendation
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Explore conducting regular Patterns of Play-style gambling research with UKRI collaboration
We recommend that the Government and the Gambling Commission should work with UKRI to explore how a study similar to the Patterns of Play research could be conducted on a regular basis.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
26 Recommendation
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Publish clear guidance on interpreting official gambling statistics alongside new survey
Alongside its new gambling survey, the Gambling Commission should publish clear guidance about the interpretation of official gambling statistics.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
27 Recommendation
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Provide clear action plan to develop understanding of gambling's relationship with suicide risk
We welcome that the Government’s suicide prevention strategy for England recognises the role harmful gambling can play in suicide risk. In its response to this report, the Government should provide us with a clear action plan on what it and … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
28 Recommendation
Second Report - Gambling regulation
Expand gambling ombudsman's scope to cover all operator-customer disputes, replacing ADR providers
The intention to establish a gambling ombudsman is welcome. However, the Government will not be in a position to judge the effectiveness of the new ombudsman until summer 2024 at the earliest, assuming the process of establishing it remains on … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
View details
Correspondence 14 letters
21 May 2024 To committee Letter from Stuart Andrew MP, Minister for Sport, Gambling and Civil Society, relating to Measures relating to the land-based gambling sector, dated 15 May 2024
Parliament page
21 Feb 2024 To committee Letter from Rt Hon Lord Foster of Bath, Chair, Peers for Gambling Reform, relating to Gambling regulation Report, dated 6 February 2024
Parliament page
6 Feb 2024 To committee Letter from Carolyn Harris MP, Chair, APPG for Gambling Related Harm, relating to Gambling regulation Report, dated 31 January 2024
Parliament page
13 Dec 2023 To committee Letter from Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive, Gambling Commission, relating to Gambling Act Review update, dated 29 November 2023
Parliament page
12 Dec 2023 To committee Letter from Michael Dugher, Chief Executive, Betting and Gaming Council, relating to Gambling and the Premier League, dated 16 October 2023
Parliament page
21 Nov 2023 To committee Letter from Dan Waugh, Partner, Regulus Partners, relating to statistics on gambling and suicide, dated 28 October 2023
Parliament page
14 Nov 2023 To committee Letter from Zoë Osmond, Chief Executive, GambleAware, relating to oral evidence, dated 10 November 2023
Parliament page
18 Oct 2023 To committee Letter from Charles Ritchie MBE, Co-founder and Co-Chair, Gambling with Lives, relating to Gambling oral evidence, dated 30 September 2023
Parliament page
19 Sep 2023 To committee Letter from Dr Jane Rigbye, Chief Executive, Ygam, relating to Gambling oral evidence, dated 14 September 2023
Parliament page
12 Sep 2023 To committee Letter from Rt Hon Stuart Andrew MP, Minister for Sport, Gambling and Civil Society, relating to oral evidence session on 5 September 2023, dated 8 September 2023
Parliament page
5 Sep 2023 To committee Letter from Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive, Gambling Commission, relating to Misuse of gambling statistics, dated 29 August 2023
Parliament page
5 Sep 2023 To committee Letter from Julie Bentley, Chief Executive, Samaritans, relating to oral evidence from Betting and Gaming Council on 11 July 2023, dated 17 August 2023
Parliament page
5 Sep 2023 To committee Letter from Charles Ritchie MBE, Co-founder and Co-Chair, Gambling with Lives, relating to oral evidence follow-up, dated 15 August 2023
Parliament page
5 Sep 2023 To committee Letter from Rt Hon Stuart Andrew MP, Minister for Sport, Gambling and Civil Society, relating to Gambling White Paper Implementation, dated 26 July 2023
Parliament page