The Lord :...It is not just
regulators based in London that struggle with the lack of clarity.
The Department for Communities told the BBC in 2018 that the mere
legality—not the stake, but the legality—of so-called fixed-odds
betting terminals is a grey area. I quote,
“their legality can, therefore, only be definitively determined
by the Courts”.
Many of your Lordships are aware of the work from these Benches
on stake reduction of electronic gaming machines. The situation
we were in, until a stake cut, was a consequence of the 2005 Act,
yet devolved legislation never had the categories of A, B, B2, et
cetera. While there is no certainty of the legality of these
machines in Northern Ireland, the industry has flourished. When
the rest of the country saw a stake reduction, the estimated 600
fixed-odds betting terminals in Northern Ireland did not see a
legally enforced stake cut. These confusing loopholes do not even
begin to touch upon notions of no-purchase-necessary rules,
Sunday trading or casinos. The anomalies and confusions abound:
gambling operates inconsistently within the UK, and this affects
lives.
It has been a steep climb through this complicated legislation.
Clearly on some things regulation and rules are the same, and
then on another matter they diverge. While these Benches,
alongside the Church of Ireland, deeply regret Westminster
legislating on Belfast matters, Northern Ireland deserves clarity
as soon as possible. Harmonisation can offer this, and I hope the
Minister considers it in the Government’s report. I beg to
move...
Lord Bruce of Bennachie: My Lords, I welcome this amendment and
recognise the activity that the Bishops’ Benches have shown on
this issue over the years. I hope they recognise that the Liberal
Democrats have also been active on this, with both my noble
friend Lord Foster in this House and in the other House putting on
pressure to get rid of the £100 limit for fixed-odds betting
terminals. It is fair to say that that pressure and the campaign
that came with it, despite a number of false starts, has had
results. But as the right reverend Prelate made clear, the
situation in Northern Ireland is not legally enforceable.
Therefore, observing the £2 limit is only voluntary for the
industry. It would be beneficial to report that, even if it has
in the short run, it should not lapse, but be maintained at that
level so that abuses do not take place...
(Con):...Although the legislation has not kept pace, I am pleased
that businesses have in some instances led the way in taking
steps in line with the more updated GB regulations and applied
them across the whole UK, including in Northern Ireland. For
example, GVC, which owns Ladbrokes Coral, has voluntarily reduced
fixed-odds betting terminal stakes in all its UK operations from
£100 to £2 in line with GB regulations. I understand that other
NI bookmakers have committed to this voluntary reduction. Any
such actions to improve social responsibility by NI operators is
to be welcomed...
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