Major gambling reform pushed backed ‘until at least January’
Paul Merson emotional discussing gambling addiction
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Ministers are still putting the finishing touches to the proposals which promise to update regulation of the sector to make it “fit for the digital age”.
Earlier this week they had confirmed a white paper outlining the plans would arrive “in the coming weeks”.
But its publication is now likely to “slip into January” with a few final tweaks being considered. A source said: “We’re close.”
Today is the second anniversary of the launch of the gambling review, which is expected to include significant new curbs for online gambling, including minimum stakes for online casinos, affordability checks and a ban on free bets targeted at customers sustaining heavy losses.
The maximum online stake will be capped at between £2 and £5, although people could be allowed to bet more if they pass affordability checks.
Companies will also be required to remove features from online games that increase the level of risk for customers, such as quick games in which customers can lose money faster.
The wide-ranging review will also examine how betting is promoted in football and sport, from shirt sponsorship through to television and online advertising.
Culture secretary Michelle Donelan has vowed the gambling review takes a “common sense” approach to the subject.
Ms Donelan, who took over the role under Liz Truss and has retained the position after Rishi Sunak took over as Prime Minister, told MPs on Tuesday: “The approach we have taken on this one in general is very much to focus on the area which presents the most harm to individuals.
“One of the problems as we all know is that gambling regulation and legislation has not kept pace with the online world and that is why it is particularly problematic especially around online gambling.
“What it’s not designed to do is curtail people’s everyday lives or their enjoyment in relation to recreational gambling which has not presented a problem, so it is about getting the balance right.
“There are some areas that we felt as a ministerial team, and I felt, could be stronger and some areas where we felt that there were more outdated, antiquated legislational rules that didn’t quite fit the modern world we are operating in.”
Ministers are under pressure to reform the sector after doctors warned of a surge in gambling addicts turning up to A&E – with figures showing a 42 percent annual rise in demand for gambling clinics.
There were 599 patients referred between April and September, compared to 421 patients last year. Of these, one in three have attempted suicide.
But many sports, such as Horse Racing and Football, rely heavily on the revenues generated by betting as well as advertising and sponsorship from betting firms.
Around three-quarters of Premier League teams have betting sponsors or partners.
The possibility of intrusive affordability checks in the white paper, including requests for customers to provide financial information such as bank statements and tax returns at low levels of spend, has led to estimates that they could wipe as much as £100 million from Horse Racing’s revenues per year.
Polling from the Betting and Gaming Council shows that nearly 70 percent of punters said they would not be willing to allow gambling operators to carry out compulsory affordability checks to prove they can afford to bet.
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