Commenting on the Government’s response to the report published in
July by the House of Lords Select Committee on the Social and
Economic Impact of the Gambling Industry, Committee Chair Lord
Grade of Yarmouthsaid:
“I am grateful for the Government’s full response to
the Select Committee’s report, and I am heartened that the
Government appreciates the importance of taking action to tackle
gambling harm. I am however disappointed that it does not seem to
understand the urgency of the problem.
"I welcome the decision to raise the minimum age for
buying national lottery products to 18, but cannot understand why
the regulations have to wait until October 2021 before coming
into force.
"The evidence on the need to regulate loot boxes is
overwhelming, and the necessary regulations could have been made
months ago, yet the Government has still not reached a
decision.
"Advertising is a particular disappointment. The
minor changes made by the industry have had little effect, and
the need for tighter regulation is clear. The Select Committee
recommended a number of changes which could make an immediate
difference. The Minister has the power to give effect to them
now. Instead the Government is including this in its Review of
the Gambling Act, and calling for yet more
evidence.
"The Government must keep tight control of the
timetable of its review, and not allow it to be used as a
mechanism for yet again deferring any significant
changes.”
The report of the House of Lords Select Committee on the
Social and Economic Impact of the Gambling Industry was published
on 2 July 2020. The Government’s response is published today,
Tuesday 8 December 2020, together with the Government’s Review of
the Gambling Industry.
The Committee’s key recommendations included:
-
The gambling industry offers a variety of
products to consumers, including some which can be highly
addictive. The Gambling Commission should create a system for
testing all new games against a series of harm indicators,
including their addictiveness and whether they will appeal to
children. A game which scores too highly on the harm indicators
must not be approved.
-
The equalisation of speed of play and spin, so
that no game can be played quicker online than in a casino,
bookmaker or bingo hall.
-
The Gambling Commission must explain the
minimum steps which operators should take when considering
customer affordability, and make clear that it is for the
operator to take the steps which will enable them to identify
customers who are betting more than they can
afford.
-
The creation of a statutory independent
Gambling Ombudsman Service, modelled on the Financial Ombudsman
Service, to settle disputes between gambling operators and
gamblers.
-
The Government must act immediately to bring
loot boxes within the remit of gambling legislation and
regulation.
-
The minimum age at which an individual can buy
any National Lottery product should be raised to
18.
-
Gambling operators should no longer be allowed
to advertise on the shirts of sports teams or any other visible
part of their kit. There should also be no gambling advertising
in or near any sports grounds or sports
venues.
-
Problem gambling is a common mental health
disorder, and the NHS has the same duty to treat it as to treat
any other disorder. Last year the NHS promised to open 15 new
clinics. It should do this before 2023 and establish a
comparable number within the following few
years.
The report is available on the Committee’s
website once the
embargo is released
