Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what representations he has received and from whom since the decision to reduce the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals to two pounds was announced.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The Government’s response to the Consultation on proposed changes to gaming machines and social responsibility measures was published on 17th May. Since then, Ministers and officials have met with and received correspondence from a range of stakeholders, including parliamentarians, representatives of the gambling industry, trade associations, and campaign group members.
Asked by: Danielle Rowley (Labour - Midlothian)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the technological changes bookmakers would need to undertake to ensure that maximum stakes on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals are to be reduced from £100 to £2.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
As the Government's response to the Consultation on proposals for changes to Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures set out on 17th May, a key priority for implementation will be engaging with the gambling industry to ensure that there is an appropriate lead-in period to enable technological changes needed for the reduction in maximum stake on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals to be completed.
Alongside the response to the consultation, the Government also published an Impact Assessment (IA) which set out the costs and benefits associated with this policy. The IA can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-proposals-for-changes-to-gaming-machines-and-social-responsibility-measures
Asked by: Danielle Rowley (Labour - Midlothian)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has undertaken an impact assessment of legislative proposals to limit maximum stakes on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals to £2 on (a) customers and (b) the wider community.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
As the Government's response to the Consultation on proposals for changes to Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures set out on 17th May, a key priority for implementation will be engaging with the gambling industry to ensure that there is an appropriate lead-in period to enable technological changes needed for the reduction in maximum stake on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals to be completed.
Alongside the response to the consultation, the Government also published an Impact Assessment (IA) which set out the costs and benefits associated with this policy. The IA can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-proposals-for-changes-to-gaming-machines-and-social-responsibility-measures
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Neath and Swansea East)
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 prevent harm to vulnerable people until the £2 stake reduction for fixed-odds betting terminals is introduced.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
Carolyn Harris MP, Labour
Minister answering: Tracey Crouch MP
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to prevent harm to vulnerable people until the £2 stake reduction for fixed-odds betting terminals is introduced. 155335
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reasons the implementation period for the B2 stake reduction is now expected to take longer than the 9 to 12 months set out in the Impact Assessment published alongside the Government’s recent consultation response on proposals to changes to Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures. 155337
ANSWER
The Gambling Commission regulates the industry according to the licensing objectives, which include protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling. It protects gambling customers and the wider public from harm through its licence conditions and codes of practice and compliance and enforcement activity
The Government published its response to the consultation on proposed changes to gaming machines and social responsibility measures on 17 May. As well as the stake reduction on B2 machines, the consultation response included a package of measures that will strengthen protections around gaming machines, online gambling, gambling advertising and treatment for problem gamblers, for which work is already under way. The measures include:
The Government will deliver the reduction in stake through secondary legislation in due course. We are currently preparing draft regulations needed to make the change, alongside engaging with the gambling industry to ensure they are given sufficient time to implement and complete the technological changes for the reduction in maximum stake for Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Neath and Swansea East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate the Government has made of the costs to the public purse arising from the harm caused by fixed-odds betting terminals in each of the last three years.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Government does not have information on revenue from category B2 machines, information on machine gaming duty receipts can be found on UK Trade Info and the latest forecasts of future revenue were published by the OBR at Spring Statement 2018.
Detailed information is not available to quantify costs to the public purse from use of B2 machines.
DCMS plan to engage with the gambling industry to ensure it is given sufficient time to implement the technological changes and restructure its business model accordingly.
HM Treasury keeps all taxes under review, and international comparison is part of that process.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Neath and Swansea East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reasons the implementation period for the B2 stake reduction is now expected to take longer than the 9 to 12 months set out in the Impact Assessment published alongside the Government’s recent consultation response on proposals to changes to Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
Carolyn Harris MP, Labour
Minister answering: Tracey Crouch MP
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to prevent harm to vulnerable people until the £2 stake reduction for fixed-odds betting terminals is introduced. 155335
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reasons the implementation period for the B2 stake reduction is now expected to take longer than the 9 to 12 months set out in the Impact Assessment published alongside the Government’s recent consultation response on proposals to changes to Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures. 155337
ANSWER
The Gambling Commission regulates the industry according to the licensing objectives, which include protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling. It protects gambling customers and the wider public from harm through its licence conditions and codes of practice and compliance and enforcement activity
The Government published its response to the consultation on proposed changes to gaming machines and social responsibility measures on 17 May. As well as the stake reduction on B2 machines, the consultation response included a package of measures that will strengthen protections around gaming machines, online gambling, gambling advertising and treatment for problem gamblers, for which work is already under way. The measures include:
The Government will deliver the reduction in stake through secondary legislation in due course. We are currently preparing draft regulations needed to make the change, alongside engaging with the gambling industry to ensure they are given sufficient time to implement and complete the technological changes for the reduction in maximum stake for Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the timetable is for the implementation of a £2 limit on fixed-odds betting terminals.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The Government published its response to the consultation on changes to gaming machines and social responsibility measures on 17 May. The Government will deliver the reduction in stake through secondary legislation in due course. We are currently preparing draft regulations needed to make the change, alongside engaging with the gambling industry to ensure they are given sufficient time to implement and complete the technological changes for the reduction in maximum stake for Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when will the timetable is for the reduction in the maximum stake on fixed odds gambling machines to be implemented.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The Government published its response to the consultation on changes to gaming machines and social responsibility measures on 17 May. The Government will engage with the gambling industry to ensure they are given sufficient time to implement and complete the technological changes for the reduction in maximum stake for Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals. The Government will deliver the reduction in stake through secondary legislation in due course.
Asked by: Lord Porter of Spalding (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Statement by Lord Ashton of Hyde on 17 May (HL Deb, cols 772–84) on gaming machines, when the reduction in the maximum stake on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals will come into force.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The Government published its response to the consultation on changes to gaming machines and social responsibility measures on 17 May. The Government will engage with the gambling industry to ensure they are given sufficient time to implement and complete the technological changes for the reduction in maximum stake for Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals. The Government will deliver the reduction in stake through secondary legislation in due course.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the proposed changes to maximum stakes for gaming machines on employment in and the economy of market towns.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The Government published its response to the consultation on changes to gaming machines and social responsibility measures on 17 May accompanied by an impact assessment, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-proposals-for-changes-to-gaming-machines-and-social-responsibility-measures
Whilst the impact assessment does not address specific economies such as market towns, the Government is aware of the potential impact on businesses following the decision to cut stakes on Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals and took this into consideration. A report by Geofutures, commissioned by GambleAware in February 2015, showed that betting shops are overwhelmingly in urban places and places with economic deprivation. The attached research can be viewed here:
http://about.gambleaware.org/media/1170/b2gamingmachines_finalreport_20150218.pdf
We will continue to take the actions necessary to protect those most vulnerable from harm and will work closely with the industry between now and implementation.