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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Gambling Commission report, Young People and Gambling, published in November 2016, what steps her Department is taking to prevent children aged 11 to 16 from participating in gambling.

The protection of children from being harmed or exploited by gambling is one of the core objectives of the Gambling Act 2005. The Gambling Commission report on Young People and Gambling showed that the level of participation of children aged 11-16 in gambling has remained relatively static. While the report made clear that some of the activities reported may be legal, eg betting between friends or on crane grab machines in Family Entertainment Centres, there is no room for complacency. The law is clear that children are not allowed to gamble in pubs, betting offices, bingo halls or arcades and where there is a failure to prevent underage gambling, the Gambling Commission will take regulatory and/or criminal action.