MP’s across a range of parties have outlined a list of proposals as part of a final report into online gambling harms which looks at reviewing deposit, stakes and prize limits.
One proposal outlined by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Gambling Related Harm states that online slot stake limits should be ‘no higher than £2 given the potential to cause harm.’ The recommendation is similar to the fixed-odd terminal limit which was imposed on bookmakers in 2018.
In total there is a list of 30 recommendations set to improve procedures in place to tackle problem gambling, including a ban on all VIP schemes and inducements and an overhaul of the UK Gambling Commission.
The Rt. Hon. Sir Iain Duncan Smith, vice chair of the Gambling Related Harm All Party Parliamentary Group, stated: “We cannot continue with the current lack of regulation for the online industry. We have an industry that is profiteering from vulnerable people gambling more than they can afford.
“The industry’s ill named ‘VIP Rooms’ and their inducements have become a cynical tool to incentivise problem gamblers to gamble until they are spiralling into addiction and despair.
“We urgently need the industry to adopt safer standards and for our failing regulatory structure to be overhauled.”
The GRH APPG has also suggested that a new Gambling Act should be introduced which is ‘fit for the digital age’ while establishing a Gambling Ombudsman is necessary to support consumer redress. Moreover, after a year-long inquiry, the 50-strong group of parliamentarians have asked for a ‘smart levy’ to fund education, prevention and treatment, and research into gambling harm.
Ronnie Cowan MP, vice chair of the Gambling Related Harm All Party Parliamentary Group, added: “Every day I speak to people whose lives have been destroyed by gambling addiction while the online gambling industry grows exponentially. This Government must not sit back and watch the unfettered growth of an industry that extracts money from people across the UK to line their own pockets.
“We are bombarded by gambling across all mediums and our sports are in hoc to an industry which seeks to profit from them. Young men, women and families are being destroyed by online gambling. Our Gambling Commission is not fit for purpose, we urgently need an ombudsman and the Government must do its job, it must not pander to the multi-million pound might of the online industry, it must put people and our communities first.”
The Group’s report is based on information collected from 10 public evidence sessions, closed sessions, submissions from a wide range of stakeholders and meetings with the Gambling Commission and gambling ministers.
Publishing independent research undertaken by Survation, the GRH APPG underlined that its drastic measures do carry public support, with regards to limits on gambling stakes along with its other recommendations.
Commenting APP’s report on Gambling Related Harm, a Betting and Gaming Council spokesperson concluded: “Over 20 million adults enjoy gambling occasionally, whether that’s on the National Lottery, bingo, sports or gaming, including online, and the overwhelming majority of them do so safely.
“Both the Regulator and the Government have both made it clear that there is in fact no evidence that problem gambling has increased, but as an industry we have to keep doing more to help those people for whom gambling does become a problem.
“Since the BGC was formed as the standards body last year, we have driven a number of significant changes across the industry – from advertising restrictions, encouraging deposit limits, monitoring play and spend so we can intervene to prevent customers getting into difficulties, closing online accounts, introducing strict new ID and age verifications, implementing the ban on credit cards and massively increasing funding for research, education and treatment.
“We are committed to making even more changes and to driving up safer gambling standards further, and we look forward to working with the Government on their forthcoming Review.Of course there will always be people who are anti-gambling and prohibitionists who are not interested in the fact the regulated industry supports over 100,000 jobs and pays over £3 billion in tax.”
To see the full list of recommendations by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Gambling Related Harm click here.