Written Question
Tuesday 14th November 2023
Asked by:
Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question
to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 70 of her Department's High Stakes: Gambling Reform for the Digital Age white paper published on April 2023, what progress her Department has made on undertaking a consultation into potential regulation for large prize draw competitions.
Answered by Stuart Andrew
- Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
In recent weeks, I have met with the largest prize draw operators in the industry, in line with the gambling white paper's commitment to look at prize draws. The department has also commissioned independent researchers to gather evidence about the size and nature of the prize draw sector, including its role in charity funding, risks and player protection and understanding. The research consists of an AI-powered web scrape, together with industry surveys and operator engagement. The research will conclude in January and will inform a consultation on potential regulation in due course.
Written Question
Tuesday 14th November 2023
Asked by:
Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question
to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has considered making changes to the existing requirements for (a) full and (b) remote ancillary licences for society lotteries in the context of increases in the use of handheld electronic devices in recruiting subscribers.
Answered by Stuart Andrew
- Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
I am aware of this issue, which was raised with me when I met with representatives of the Lotteries Council on 23 May.
Section 4 of the Gambling Act 2005 states that where a telephone (or other forms of electronic communication) are used to participate in gambling, it will be treated as remote gambling.
Under the Gambling Act all operators that offer remote gambling are required to hold a remote operating licence. This means that if a lottery sells tickets face to face and remotely by telephone or online it will need two licences. The holder of a non-remote lottery operating (society) licence pays an annual fee of only £50 for an ancillary licence, if its remote proceeds in that year do not exceed £250,000. Annual fees for standalone remote licences range from £400 to £796 depending on proceeds.
I therefore have no current plans to amend the society lottery licensing arrangements in the Gambling Act.
Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 07 Jul 2022
Oral Answers to Questions
"8. If the Government will consult on the potential merits of raising the charity lottery annual sales limit to £100 million. ..."Craig Whittaker - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 07 Jul 2022
Oral Answers to Questions
"I thank the Minister for that answer. As he rightly said, charity lotteries, such as the people’s postcode lottery, are benefiting thousands of charities and communities around the country, not least in the Calder Valley itself, and implementing the next stage of charity lottery reform, as the Government have previously …..."Craig Whittaker - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 07 Jun 2022
Statutory Gambling Levy
"Will the hon. Lady give way?..."Craig Whittaker - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 07 Jun 2022
Statutory Gambling Levy
"What the hon. Lady is trying to achieve is admirable, and she will find that she has a lot more support than she realises. My big concern, which I expressed in the previous debate on this subject as well, is the black market—the offline, unregulated areas. Black market gambling is …..."Craig Whittaker - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 07 Jun 2022
Statutory Gambling Levy
"That is such a scary comment to make. I point the hon. Lady to the report “The State of Illegal Betting” produced by the Asian Racing Federation, which includes Australia, Japan and Hong Kong among its 17 members. It states that 61% of online gambling is unregulated, illegal and on …..."Craig Whittaker - View Speech
View all Craig Whittaker (Con - Calder Valley) contributions to the debate on: Statutory Gambling Levy
Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 07 Jun 2022
Statutory Gambling Levy
"The one area where we already have a levy is the horse-racing sector, which has a strong link with gambling and betting. What does my hon. Friend feel that an additional levy on that sector will do to those jobs and on horse-racing?..."Craig Whittaker - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 29 Mar 2022
Gambling-related Harm
"I wonder what the answer is. I fully understand what the hon. Lady is proposing, but look at the hard evidence from Norway. Norway has done exactly what the hon. Lady is proposing, but 66% of all gambling stakes in Norway are done on the black market or dark web. …..."Craig Whittaker - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 29 Mar 2022
Gambling-related Harm
"Everybody here understands the damage caused by addiction, not just to the individual but to families, marriages and communities. Nobody doubts for a minute the challenges that the Government face in trying to regulate, in this case, the gambling industry to protect the most vulnerable, while at the same allowing …..."Craig Whittaker - View Speech
View all Craig Whittaker (Con - Calder Valley) contributions to the debate on: Gambling-related Harm