The UK government has quelled calls for further major gambling reform in the UK and insisted proposals from the 2023 white paper must be implemented as a priority.
As part of a debate on ‘High Street Gambling Reform’, Department for Culture, Media and Sport minister Ian Murray downplayed expectations of further legislative change.
The debate focused on the current ‘aim to permit’ principle in allowing retail betting shops to be opened without “cumulative impact assessments” but skewed into anti-gambling rhetoric from several MPs.
Siân Berry, the former co-leader of the Green Party, slammed current advertising regulations, which were barely touched on in the white paper into the Gambling Act 2005 review.
The Brighton Pavilion MP, who is also a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Gambling Reform, claimed the government could be doing more on the issue.
She said: “Advertising bothers me in many ways, but on this topic it makes me really angry. I think the government could do a lot more about it.
“With the physical adverts in our neighbourhoods alongside all the gaudy shopfronts, coupled with the ever-present marketing on social media and television every time we tune into sport, it is no wonder that we are seeing increased gambling harms.”
While Berry welcomed the efforts to implement proposals from the white paper, she argued “bolder action” was needed, while slamming the slow pace of the ombudsman delivery.
EGR revealed last month that the voluntary ombudsman proposal had been scrapped, with the government now having to pursue statutory legislation to implement it.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Gambling Reform, which is chaired by Sir Iain Duncan Smith, launched a new inquiry into regulations last summer.
The body claimed there is “significant concern regarding the suitability of existing policies and frameworks to effectively regulate gambling”, despite the white paper’s publication.
However, Murray, who is the minister for media, tourism and creative industries, insisted the Labour government would not be pushing for further reforms.
The white paper, which was published in April 2023, was first announced by the Conservatives in their 2019 election manifesto.
Murray said: “We want to implement the recommendations in that white paper.
“Obviously, it was the previous government’s initiative, but the recommendations were pretty powerful. We want them to be implemented as quickly as possible, but we also want to see them bedded in before there is another review of gambling.
“[Berry] also talked about the gambling ombudsman, which will require primary legislation. We will bring forward those kinds of issues as and when we are able to do so.”
Murray’s comments come less than three months after the Chancellor Rachel Reeves approved significant tax hikes on the industry in her Autumn Budget.
From this April, remote gaming duty will shoot up from 21% to 40%, while in April 2027, remote general betting duty will rise from 15% to 25%.
A shadow DCMS minister, Joe Robertson, questioned Murray on the government’s assessment of the tax hikes on operator’s retail estates.
“What assessment has been made of the impact of recent tax rises on high street betting shops, including closures, job losses and empty units, and will it be published?” he asked.
Murray did not respond to the query during the debate.
Betfred founder Fred Done has warned that his entire retail estate could potentially shutter due to tax hikes.
The post White paper must be implemented before new UK gambling review, says government first appeared on EGR Intel.
DCMS minister Ian Murray says 2023 proposals must be put in place amid calls from MPs and reformists to re-examine the regulatory framework in the market
The post White paper must be implemented before new UK gambling review, says government first appeared on EGR Intel.