Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the lowering of stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
Gambling in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter and the regulatory change to sub-category B2 machines will cover Great Britain only.
Asked by: Ronnie Cowan (Scottish National Party - Inverclyde)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
What steps his Department is taking to tackle gambling-related harm.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
This Government takes gambling-related harm seriously and in May we announced a strong package of measures to tackle it. We have taken decisive action on fixed-odds betting terminals to cut the maximum stake to £2. On 5th September, the Gambling Commission launched its consultation on proposals to increase player protections online, including stronger age and identity verification. Further consultation on affordability checks will follow in due course
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 needed for a reduction in maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals to be completed.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
On 17 May, as part of its response to the Consultation on proposed changes for Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures, the Government announced that the maximum stake for B2 machines would be reduced to £2. Officials have made good progress on drafting the SI to implement the change and will continue to engage with stakeholders on the technological requirements.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 engagement she has had with (a) the gambling industry and (b) Gamblers Anonymous on the reduction in maximum stake on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
Ministers have regular meetings with stakeholders to discuss a range of issues including the stake reduction on B2 machines. Details of Ministerial meetings are published on a quarterly basis on gov.uk
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what meetings civil servants and ministers had with stakeholders between 1 January and 11 July about the reduction in stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals from £100 to £2; and what were the (1) dates, (2) locations, and (3) attendees, of each of those meetings.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
Ministers and officials from DCMS have regular meetings with stakeholders to discuss a range of issues including B2 stake reduction. Details of Ministerial meetings are published on a quarterly basis on gov.uk.
Asked by: Lord Chadlington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they expect to generate in taxes from Fixed Odds Betting Terminals in (1) 2018, (2) 2019, and (3) 2020.
Answered by Lord Bates
Forecasts for betting and gaming tax receipts are published by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). However, the OBR does not publish a breakdown of projected revenues from the 7 individual betting and gaming duties due to the disclosive nature of the underlying data; doing so would contravene taxpayer confidentiality rules due to the limited number of operators in certain areas of the market.
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 the timetable is for the decision to reduce the maximum stake allowed for fixed-odds betting terminals to two pounds to be implemented.
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, the reduction in maximum stake on B2 machines will be delivered 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 that there is an appropriate lead-in period to allow for technological changes to be made.
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