Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of alternatives to a statutory levy on casinos to fund research, education and treatment of gambling addiction.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government’s Review of the Gambling Act called for evidence on how best to recoup the regulatory and societal costs of problem gambling. We will publish a white paper outlining our proposals for reform and vision for the sector in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to review the regulation of Prize Draws as part of the Gambling Review.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The framework for society lotteries is set out in the Gambling Act 2005 (the Act). Section 14 of the Act generally defines a lottery as requiring payment to participate, an outcome determined wholly by chance, and the allocation of prizes.
Large society lotteries are subject to strict sales and prize limits, and operate under a licence issued by the Gambling Commission. They are also required to provide a minimum return to good causes.
Some products, such as prize competitions and free draws may resemble lotteries but do not meet the definition of a lottery under section 14 of the Act. This might be due to a free entry route or because there is an element of skill involved. Since free draws do not meet the definition of a lottery, they are not considered gambling for the purposes of the Act and the Gambling Commission has no regulatory responsibilities for these products, but it does monitor the boundary between them and society lotteries to ensure that products are regulated when required by the Act.
The Government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 in December 2020 with the publication of a Call for Evidence. We received over 16,000 responses, and we are considering all the evidence carefully. The Review is wide-ranging and evidence-led, and aims to make sure that the regulation of gambling is fit for the digital age. We are currently carefully considering all submitted evidence and a white paper will be published in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if her Department will make a comparative assessment of the regulation of Society Lotteries and Prize Draws.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The framework for society lotteries is set out in the Gambling Act 2005 (the Act). Section 14 of the Act generally defines a lottery as requiring payment to participate, an outcome determined wholly by chance, and the allocation of prizes.
Large society lotteries are subject to strict sales and prize limits, and operate under a licence issued by the Gambling Commission. They are also required to provide a minimum return to good causes.
Some products, such as prize competitions and free draws may resemble lotteries but do not meet the definition of a lottery under section 14 of the Act. This might be due to a free entry route or because there is an element of skill involved. Since free draws do not meet the definition of a lottery, they are not considered gambling for the purposes of the Act and the Gambling Commission has no regulatory responsibilities for these products, but it does monitor the boundary between them and society lotteries to ensure that products are regulated when required by the Act.
The Government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 in December 2020 with the publication of a Call for Evidence. We received over 16,000 responses, and we are considering all the evidence carefully. The Review is wide-ranging and evidence-led, and aims to make sure that the regulation of gambling is fit for the digital age. We are currently carefully considering all submitted evidence and a white paper will be published in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether (a) she, (b) Ministers or (c) officials in her Department have met with representatives of the Horseracing Bettors Forum to discuss the forthcoming Gambling white paper.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Ministers and officials have meetings with various stakeholders to support ongoing work and policy development. There has also been a wide-ranging series of meetings to support the ongoing Gambling Act Review which was launched in December 2020 with a Call for Evidence. Records of ministerial meetings are published quarterly and are available on gov.uk.
Ministers have not had meetings with representatives of the Horseracing Bettors Forum. However, officials will be meeting the organisation to discuss the Gambling Act Review in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions the Gambling commission has had with the information commissioner's office on the legality of requesting personal financial statements by licensed bookmakers for affordability checks.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The Gambling Commission takes care to ensure it operates within all relevant data protection rules and engages with the Information Commissioner’s Office when necessary. Its consultation and call for evidence on Remote Customer Interaction sought to build on existing requirements for how operators identify and intervene where customers may be at risk of harm, including by spending more than they can afford, and called for evidence specifically on the important issue of balancing data protection and consumer protection.
The Commission published an interim update setting out its next steps in this area and committed to engage stakeholders on concerns around consumer privacy in a further consultation on more detailed proposals. The interim update is available at:
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will commit to supporting the introduction of a registration and licensing regime for gambling affiliates.
Answered by John Whittingdale
All gambling adverts, wherever they appear, must be socially responsible and are subject to strict controls on content and placement to protect children and vulnerable people from harm. Codes are published by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), which covers online and non-broadcast spaces, and by the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP), and these are administered by the Advertising Standards Authority. The standards set by the CAP apply to gambling affiliates, and operators are liable to enforcement action from the Gambling Commission if their affiliates’ marketing activities do not comply with the rules. The Commission has worked closely with the ASA on the issue of affiliates in recent years and has tightened its Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP).
I also refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley on the 24th June to Question 18509.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the report by the House of Lords Select Committee on the Social and Economic Impact of the Gambling Industry, entitled Gambling Harm: Time for Action, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the recommendations in that report on reviewing the restrictions placed on land-based casinos operating under the Gaming Act 1968.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 on 8 December with the publication of a Call for Evidence. This closed on 31 March and received approximately 16,000 submissions from a broad range of interested organisations and individuals, including representatives of the land-based casino sector. We are considering all the evidence received carefully and aim to publish a white paper by the end of the year outlining conclusions and next steps.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what evidence his Department holds on the potential effect of the opening of land-based casinos as a result of the passing of the Gambling Act 2005 on levels of problem gambling.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 on 8 December with the publication of a Call for Evidence. This closed on 31 March and received approximately 16,000 submissions from a broad range of interested organisations and individuals, including representatives of the land-based casino sector. We are considering all the evidence received carefully and aim to publish a white paper by the end of the year outlining conclusions and next steps.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans the Government has to bring forward legislative proposals to modernise regulation of land-based casinos as part of the wider review of gambling laws to ensure they are fit for the digital age.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 on 8 December with the publication of a Call for Evidence. This closed on 31 March and received approximately 16,000 submissions from a broad range of interested organisations and individuals, including representatives of the land-based casino sector. We are considering all the evidence received carefully and aim to publish a white paper by the end of the year outlining conclusions and next steps.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress the Gambling Commission has made on its recent call for evidence on Remote Customer Interaction; and what steps the Government plans to take to consider the findings from that call for evidence in its review of the Gambling Act 2005.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The Gambling Commission’s consultation and call for evidence on Remote Customer Interaction closed on 9 February and received over 13,000 responses. The Commission is reviewing that evidence and intends to publish an interim update on progress and to set out the next steps in due course.
Government remains in close contact with the Commission as this progresses, and the Commission is sharing key evidence with the Department on this and other topics which may be relevant to our Review of the Gambling Act 2005. Our call for evidence closed on 31 March 2021, and we are currently carefully considering all the evidence submitted.