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 Our current legislation is outdated and analogue - we need a new Gambling Act, fit for the digital age.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
The All Party Parliamentary Group for Gambling Related Harm and Prof. Henrietta Bowden Jones OBE, Director of the National Problem Gambling Clinic, have today written to the Betting and Gaming Council, five large online bookmakers (Bet365, William Hill, GVC, SkyBet and Flutter) and to the Sport, Tourism and Heritage Minister, Nigel Huddleston MP. The letters call […]
Please click here to download the minutes of the 12th February 2020 session in which the APPG heard from the CEO of the Gambling Commission, Neil McArthur.
PRESS RELEASE: Statement from the APPG for Gambling Related Harm on the National Audit Office Report
Today the National Audit Office has effectively said that the Gambling Commission is not fit for purpose. This is a major intervention by the Government’s own auditor and organisation which holds the Government to account. Individuals at the Gambling Commission should be held accountable for this failing and urgent action must be taken by the […]
Please click here to download the minutes of the 21st January 2020 AGM of the APPG for Gambling Related Harm. Please click here to download the income/expenditure statement agreed at the AGM covering the period 27th June 2019 – 5th November 2019 (the dissolution of Parliament before the 12th December 2019 election).