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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential merits of establishing a gambling ombudsman.

The House of Lords Select Committee on the Social and Economic Impact of the Gambling Industry recommended that a statutory ombudsman be created for the gambling sector. The government is carefully considering this and other recommendations made by the committee and will respond in due course.

In addition, the Public Accounts Committee has recommended that the government and the Gambling Commission should make an assessment of gaps in the existing arrangements for redress open to consumers, and set out a plan to resolve any gaps identified. The government has agreed with this recommendation and has indicated that it will write to the committee in the coming months to provide an update on progress in this area.