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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 06 Jan 2022
Oral Answers to Questions

"I thank my right hon. and learned Friend for her answer. What assessment has she made of the way in which that funding will support the police uplift programme, which will in turn help to deliver safer streets in towns such as Blackpool?..."
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 25 Nov 2021
Independent Fan-led Review of Football Governance

"Blackpool football club has suffered greatly over much of the past 10 years because of the actions of an irresponsible owner. Thankfully, the club is now in much better hands under its new chairman Simon Sadler and success is following on the pitch. Will my hon. Friend join me in …..."
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 09 Nov 2021
Racism in Cricket

"This appalling case follows several high-profile examples of racism in other sports this year. The efforts to address racism in football, for example, through taking the knee have sadly met with a mixed reaction from fans. Although it is clear that we need a new anti-racism strategy across all sports, …..."
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 23 Sep 2021
Horse Racing

"I thank my right hon. Friend for allowing me to intervene, and I draw the attention of the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. He will be aware of the recent increase in the number of drone pilots that have been spotted at horse race …..."
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Written Question
Gambling
Wednesday 28th July 2021

Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment the Gambling Commission has made of the accuracy of the estimated number of problem gamblers.

Answered by John Whittingdale

As part of the Gambling Commission's duty under the Gambling Act 2005 to advise the government on gambling in Great Britain and provide an effective regulatory function, they collect gambling participation and problem gambling prevalence data via surveys of adults in Great Britain, principally the Health Surveys and quarterly telephone surveys. The data are published as official statistics and they are produced in accordance with the standards set out by the Government Statistical Service in the Code of Practice for Statistics.

The Health Surveys use a face to face methodology; and historically this methodology has provided the best means of delivering a random probability sample, which means every household listed on the Postcode Address File (a list of every point in the UK to which mail is delivered to) is given an equal chance of being selected to take part in the survey. Random probability sampling is generally regarded as the best method to achieve accurate population estimates. The Health Surveys include the PGSI and the DSM-IV screens for problem gambling, and a combined score from both presents an accurate picture of problem gambling. However, some challenges exist with the Health Surveys such as its relative infrequency so the Commission supplement the data with a quarterly telephone survey.

The quarterly telephone survey is currently the Gambling Commissions’ main measure of gambling participation (in the last four weeks) and is intended to supplement the high quality but less frequent prevalence measurement through the Health Surveys.. Telephone interviewing is a widespread method of running a nationally representative survey of a cross-section of the population. The short form PGSI screen is used within the telephone survey to measure problem gambling and the prevalence data compares reasonably closely to the Health Survey figures. However, there are a number of criticisms of telephone surveys, not least that it relies on respondents having telephone access (landline or mobile).

Having recognised some of the challenges above and as part of the Gambling Commissions’ ambition to improve the quality and robustness of their statistics, they have recently consulted on proposals to change the research methodology used to collect gambling participation and problem gambling statistics. The consultation responses indicated a high level of agreement with the proposals, and the Gambling Commission are in the process of commissioning a pilot to test a new approach. Their full response to the consultation is available here https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/print/participation-and-prevalence-research
Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 22 Jul 2021
Review of the Gambling Act 2005

"It is a pleasure to lead this Adjournment debate on the review of the Gambling Act 2005. I refer Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests and to my position as chair of the all-party parliamentary group on betting and gaming. I thank the Minister for …..."
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 22 Jul 2021
Review of the Gambling Act 2005

"The right hon. Member makes a brilliant point. It is not just about the jobs, directly and indirectly, and the taxation to the Exchequer; it is also about the contribution of the industry to the cultural fabric of our society. I appreciate that point and will refer to it later.

…..."
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 22 Jul 2021
Review of the Gambling Act 2005

"The hon. Member makes a valid point about the so-called black market or offshore gambling. Billions of pounds of UK customers’ money is spent on black market websites every single year. Of course, the problem is that, unlike UK online gaming operators, those offshore operators are not regulated and the …..."
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 07 Jul 2021
UK Casino Industry

"I beg to move,

That this House has considered the UK casino industry.

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Mundell. Before I begin, I refer the House to my declaration in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests.

People’s perceptions of casinos often fall into two categories, …..."
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 07 Jul 2021
UK Casino Industry

"The hon. Gentleman makes a valid contribution. I am sure that many people across the country share such concerns. I have visited a number of casinos, including the ones in my constituency, and I can honestly say that the safe gambling practices they have in place are second to none. …..."
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