Culture Secretary raises concerns about gambling on credit cards ahead of review next month

• Government demands social responsibility from all businesses connected to gambling

• Gambling Commission to call for evidence on the issue of gambling on credit cards in February

• Wright: ‘gambling self-exclusion schemes must be policed properly’

Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright is to call in retail banking giants and bookmakers to discuss growing concerns about consumers being able to gamble on credit cards ahead of a Gambling Commission review to be launched next month.

The review will look at the risks of gambling on credit - both online and offline - and could lead to regulatory action in this area.

The Gambling Commission will call for evidence on the matter in February.  

Online gambling companies have indicated to the Gambling Commission that up to 20% of deposits are made using credit cards and Wright is concerned that the option to gamble on credit means people are betting with money they don’t have.

Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Jeremy Wright said:

“Protecting people from the risks of gambling related harm is vital and all businesses with connections to gambling - be that bookmakers, social media platforms or banks -  must be socially responsible. The government will not hesitate to act if businesses don’t continue to make progress in this area and do all they can to ensure vulnerable people are protected.

“Gambling operators must step in and act when people are showing signs of risky gambling. Their licences are at risk if they do not. We should also ask if it is right that people should be able to gamble on credit and this is an area that the Gambling Commission are going to look into.”

Wright is encouraged that major high street banks including Barclays, Lloyds, Santander and the Royal Bank of Scotland are taking action by allowing customers to switch off spending on gambling through each bank’s respective mobile apps and wants all banks and building societies to follow suit. But he believes that the wider issue of people currently being allowed to gamble on other forms of credit must also be looked at.

The Culture Secretary also insists that self exclusion schemes where people have decided to opt out of gambling work properly. This includes both industry schemes - such as GamStop for online gambling and the multi-operator self inclusion scheme for bookmakers - and the banking apps.  

Wright added:

“Self-exclusion schemes are essential but must be properly policed and effective to support the individual that has taken the decision to opt-out. This is something that I will be raising with the industry and the Gambling Commission. Self-exclusion measures are licence conditions for all gambling operators and those who cut corners in this area must face action.”

Last month Jeremy Wright visited the National Problem Gambling Clinic in London to discuss problem gambling and the Clinic’s work with addicts, ahead of the government announcing further support in this area.

As part of the new NHS Long Term Plan, the government announced earlier this week it will invest in expanding the number of specialist clinics to help more people with serious gambling problems. Currently there is only one NHS problem gambling clinic in the UK, with a second due to be opened in Leeds in April ahead of a further roll-out.

The moves follows the government’s decision to reduce the maximum stake of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) from £100 to £2 that will take place in April, to better protect consumers and communities.