Urgent reform of our gambling laws is needed. Our current legislation is outdated and analogue - we need a new Gambling Act, fit for the digital age.
- 1There should be stake limits for online gambling to create parity with land-based venues - including a £2 stake on harmful slot content.
- 2Affordability checks (with a soft cap of £100) are urgently needed and should be overseen by a Gambling Ombudsman.
- 3VIP schemes and harmful incentives must be banned.
- 4There should be a clear duty of care on operators to protect consumers from harm.
- 5A “smart”, mandatory levy should be applied to operators to fund safer gambling initiatives and research.
- 6There should be a ban on all advertising in sport, on direct marketing and on inducements. Stronger advertising restrictions on broadcast, online, streaming and social media advertising should be brought in to limit the exposure of children to gambling.
- 7The Gambling Commission is not fit for purpose - its capacity to regulate online gambling must be urgently reviewed and the Government must commit further flexible funding for the Commission, with rigorous spending oversight.
- 8A Gambling Ombudsman must be set up to protect consumers.
APPG’s Submission to the Gambling Review
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will use responses to the Call for Evidence phase of the Review to inform any legislative proposals put forward to reform, or even replace, the current Gambling Act 2005.
Latest News
Please click here to download the minutes from the 11th May 2020 meeting of the APPG.
23 June 2020 Politicians at Stormont and Westminster are joining forces to toughen up gambling laws on both sides of the Irish sea. The recently-formed All Party Group on Reducing Harm Related to Gambling at Stormont is about to launch an inquiry into how best to reform Northern Ireland’s obsolete gambling legislation. Meanwhile the Gambling […]
Please click here to download the minutes from the 9th April 2020 meeting of the APPG.
GAMBLING ADDICTS ARE EASY PREY There is clear evidence that online gambling companies are offering inducements to vulnerable gamblers and recovering addicts who are isolated at home (News, last week). They must stop this predatory behaviour. It is time for this industry to act with integrity and adopt measures we have proposed to protect vulnerable […]