Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2021 to Question 4020 on National Lottery: Computer Software, for what reasons the Government increased the minimum age for entry to (a) the National Lottery in December 2020 and (b) all games operated by Camelot UK Lotteries Limited in April 2021.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Legislation was laid in December 2020 to increase the minimum age for all National Lottery products from 16 to 18 from 1 October 2021, in order to protect 16 and 17 year olds from the risk of gambling-related harm. This followed a public consultation in 2019, and more detailed information can be found in the consultation response and the accompanying impact assessment.
As anticipated in the consultation response, the National Lottery operator was able to implement the change more swiftly, with the new minimum age being implemented online and in retail on 22 April 2021.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2021 to Question 4020, how many times Camelot UK Lotteries Limited has submitted (a) a risk assessment, (b) an assessment by the game design governance group and (c) academic research to the Gambling Commission for (i) new game proposals and (ii) changes to existing games in each year since 1994; and what the nature and outcome of each of those items was.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The Gambling Commission is the independent regulator of the National Lottery and has statutory duties to ensure that the interests of all players are protected, the Lottery is run with due propriety and that returns to good causes are maximised.
Details of significant regulatory decisions and the rationale supporting those decisions are published and can be found on the Gambling Commission’s website.
It has not been possible for the Gambling Commission to collate the requested information in the time available, and confirm how many times the National Lottery operator has submitted (a) a risk assessment, (b) an assessment by the game design governance group and (c) academic research to the Gambling Commission for (i) new game proposals and (ii) changes to existing games in each year since 1994; and the nature and outcome of each of those items.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2021 to Question 4020 on National Lottery: Computer Software, (a) how many times Camelot UK Lotteries Limited has submitted a player protection strategy for approval by the Gambling Commission and (b) how many of those submissions related to (i) underage and (ii) excessive play in each year since 1994.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The operator is subject to conditions set out within the Licence which specify that it must adopt, maintain and implement strategies to prevent underage and excessive play on the National Lottery and that such strategies shall first have been approved by the
Gambling Commission. Information on the more specific requirements of the operator in this respect can be found within Condition 7 of the Third Licence.
It has not been possible for the Gambling Commission to collate the requested information in the time available and confirm how many times a player protection strategy has been submitted to them for approval by the operator since the National Lottery was launched in 1994.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2021 to Question 4017 on Camelot Group: Profits, what proportion of the increase of digital sales from 25.4 per cent in financial year 2018-19 to 31.1 per cent in financial year 2019-20 was in (a) draw-based and (b) instant win game sales.
Answered by John Whittingdale
National Lottery digital sales increased by £622m between 2018/19 and 2019/20. 48% of this growth was due to increased sales of Interactive Instant Win Games (IIWGs) and 52% was due to increased sales of online Draw-Based Games.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2021 to Question 4018 on Camelot Group: Sales, if he will publish sales figures by Camelot UK Lotteries Limited for Instant Win games by (a) physical scratch cards and (b) online Instant Win entries in each year since 2009.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Camelot UK Lotteries Limited is a private, commercial organisation which is currently operates the National Lottery under the terms of the third licence. The National Lottery is regulated independently of Government by the Gambling Commission.
DCMS does not routinely collect separate information about sales of (a) physical scratchcards and (b) online Instant Win games, and as such there are currently no plans to publish this information.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how evidence can be submitted to the review into the collapse of Football Index; and when evidence sessions will be held.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The Secretary of State has appointed Malcolm Sheehan QC to lead the independent review of the Football Index gambling product and we have published its scope and terms of reference on gov.uk. As I said in my Written Ministerial Statement of 7 June, many former customers of Football Index have already contacted the Department to provide information and they can continue to do so via gamblingactreview@dcms.gov.uk. We will pass on any relevant evidence to the inquiry. The statement can be found at: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2021-06-07/hcws63
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which companies have been shortlisted to operate the third licence for the National Lottery.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The competition for the third National Lottery licence was run by the National Lottery Commission, which was merged with the Gambling Commission in October 2013. The Commission announced the outcome of the competition on 7th August 2007.
The Commission received two strong applications for the third licence, from Camelot Group plc and Sugal & Damani UK Ltd. Both bids met the seven demanding Required Standards outlined by the Commission in the Invitation to Apply (ITA). Camelot Group plc was selected as the Preferred Bidder and was awarded the third licence to start from February 2009. Camelot Group plc were considered best able to maximise returns to good causes over the term of the Licence. The published ‘Statement of Reasons’ which discusses the outcome in more detail can be found through the National Archives website.
The Gambling Commission launched the competition for the fourth National Lottery licence on 28 August 2020. The next licence comes into force in August 2023. The Commission’s priority is to run a fair and robust competition and, given that the competition is underway, it would not be appropriate to name, or comment on, organisations that are participating in the competition. The preferred applicant for the fourth licence is expected to be announced at the end of the year.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he intends to (a) publish the Terms of Reference and (b) appoint the independent expert for the independent review of Football Index.
Answered by John Whittingdale
DCMS will appoint an independent expert to conduct a review of the regulation of the Football Index gambling product and to make recommendations to government and the regulators. The review will take an objective look at the decisions and actions of the Gambling Commission and any other relevant regulatory bodies to provide a clear account of how the activities of its operator, BetIndex Ltd, were regulated, identify if there were areas for improvement, and inform our Review of the Gambling Act 2005. We intend to publish a report this summer and the appointment of an independent reviewer and further details on the terms of reference will be announced very shortly. Further information can be found in a Written Ministerial Statement on Regulation of Football Index, available at: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2021-04-20/hcws929
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will publish the basis upon which the Gambling Commission renewed the Camelot UK Lotteries Limited license to run the National Lottery in June 2020.
Answered by John Whittingdale
In order to facilitate the competition for the next licence to run the National Lottery and ensure a smooth transition between the third and fourth licences, the current National Lottery licence contains provisions through which it can be extended by the Gambling Commission by up to one year, through two six-month extensions. Any extension will be on the existing terms of the licence.
In May 2020, the Gambling Commission announced that they would be triggering the first of these extensions to accommodate a delay to the launch of the competition for the next licence due to concerns expressed by interested applicants about the challenges posed by the Covid 19 pandemic. The updated third licence and a notice setting out the decision behind the extension can be found on the Gambling Commission’s website.
The competition launched successfully in August 2020 and the Gambling Commission are currently reviewing initial applications. The next licence will start in August 2023.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that there are player protections in place for people using Camelot UK Lotteries Limited's (a) website and (b) phone application to participate in the National Lottery.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Under the terms of the current National Lottery Licence the operator is required to implement player protection strategies to prevent underage and excessive play, which must be approved by the Gambling Commission, as regulator of the National Lottery.
For new game proposals and changes to existing games, the operator must provide the Gambling Commission with a range of information, such as assessments of the risks associated with certain product characteristics, a broader assessment by the operator’s game design governance group and relevant academic research.
In addition, the Gambling Commission conducts regular, detailed monitoring to identify risks to players, and where appropriate, undertakes strategic reviews of areas of the portfolio which are identified as higher (but not necessarily high) risk. For example, in 2020, the Gambling Commission commissioned research to better understand the players of Online Interactive Instant Win Games. The research found an association between players of Interactive Instant Win Games at the £10 price point and some problem gambling behaviours. As a result of this research, the operator suspended the sale of £10 Online Interactive Instant Win Games, which followed the removal of the £10 scratchcard in 2019.
In December 2020, the government increased the minimum age for the National Lottery as a precautionary measure to ensure the protection of young people. These changes were introduced for all games in April 2021, both for online and retail sales.