Gambling: Children and Young People
(asked on 6th September 2018) - View Source
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent children and young people becoming addicted to gambling.
This question was answered on 19th September 2018
Protecting children and the vulnerable from being harmed or exploited by gambling is a core objective of the regulation of gambling in Great Britain, and a priority for the government. Operators offering gambling services to people in Great Britain must have a licence from the Gambling Commission and must have effective policies and procedures designed to prevent underage gambling. The Gambling Commission has a range of powers to act in the case of failure, including the power to suspend or revoke a licence, impose financial penalties or prosecute criminal offences. The Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility set out measures to increase existing protections around online gambling and gambling advertising. The Gambling Commission is currently consulting on strengthening age verification protections for online gambling. It is also working with the video games industry to raise awareness of the risks of third parties using its products to provide illegal gambling facilities.
Protecting children and the vulnerable from being harmed or exploited by gambling is a core objective of the regulation of gambling in Great Britain, and a priority for the government. Operators offering gambling services to people in Great Britain must have a licence from the Gambling Commission and must have effective policies and procedures designed to prevent underage gambling. The Gambling Commission has a range of powers to act in the case of failure, including the power to suspend or revoke a licence, impose financial penalties or prosecute criminal offences. The Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility set out measures to increase existing protections around online gambling and gambling advertising. The Gambling Commission is currently consulting on strengthening age verification protections for online gambling. It is also working with the video games industry to raise awareness of the risks of third parties using its products to provide illegal gambling facilities.