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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of people who have a gambling addiction.

We published the Review of Gambling Machines and Social Responsibility Measures in May 2018. This set out decisive action to protect those vulnerable to harm by cutting the maximum stake on B2 machine from £100 to £2, along with measures to strengthen protections around online gambling and gambling advertising. These include action by the Gambling Commission to improve age-verification controls online and introduce tougher sanctions for breaches of advertising codes. A multi-million pound safer gambling advertising campaign will launch this year, aimed at raising awareness of the risks around gambling and signposting to help.

The Review also set out action on treatment and support for those who experience harm, including initiatives to improve the evidence on treatment needs and effectiveness, expand access to existing services and strengthen the voluntary system for funding support.