Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
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 level of consistency between the recent advice of the Gambling Commission to his Department and the proposed reduction in the maximum stake for fixed-odds betting terminals to £2.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
On 31 October 2017 the government published proposals for changes on gaming machines and social responsibility measures. The consultation outlined options for cutting the maximum stake of Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals to between £50 and £2 and invited views. The consultation closed on 23 January. On 19 March the Gambling Commission published its advice which recommended that the maximum stakes be cut to between £30 and £2, with the exact level being a matter for judgement by the Government. The Government will consider this alongside the responses received by the consultation and will publish its response in due course.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made the effect of potential betting shop closures as a result of changes to the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals on trends in the level of illegal gambling.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The consultation on proposals for changes to gaming machines and social responsibility measures closed on 23 January and the responses are being considered. The Government’s response will be published in due course with a revised final impact assessment.
Asked by: Lord Porter of Spalding (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 economic and social costs of providing welfare and support services as a result of the high stakes being gambled on fixed-odds betting terminals.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
Measuring the cost of problem gambling is a complicated task. The study by The Institute of Public Policy Research “Cards on the Table”, published in December 2016, estimated that the cost to the Government associated with problem gamblers ranged between £260m and £1.16bn. This reflects an estimate of the costs of public services for those individuals, but it does not capture the wider impact of problem gambling and gambling-related harm to the UK economy. The attached report can be found here: https://about.gambleaware.org/media/1367/cards-on-the-table_dec16.pdf
Building on this analysis, a report produced by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), which I attach, (published January 2018 and found here: http://www.coin-opcommunity.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/CEBR-Report-final-Jan-2018.pdf) provided estimates of the cost to government of problem gambling specifically related to B2 gaming machines. This analysis estimates that problem gamblers linked to B2 machines could be associated with an excess fiscal cost in the region of £210 million and in welfare terms, the population of B2 problem gamblers could be imposing a cost of £1.5 billion on themselves, their families and their wider social networks.
GambleAware is commissioning research to improve the understanding of gambling-related harm which should lead to a set of metrics which we can use to measure the impact of gambling-related harm on a wider scale. We continue to take problem gambling and gambling-related harm seriously and welcome developments to better understand this issue.
Asked by: Lord Chadlington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to announce the reduced stake for category B2 gaming machines, known as fixed odds betting terminals.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The Government’s consultation on proposals for changes to gaming machines and social responsibility measures closed on 23 January. The Government is currently analysing the responses to the consultation and its response will be published in due course. The Government intends to publish the key responses to the consultation, subject to the respondents’ permission.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to make an announcement on the reduced stake for fixed odds betting terminals.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The Government’s consultation on proposals for changes to gaming machines and social responsibility measures closed on 23 January. We are currently analysing advice from the Gambling Commission which was published on 19 March, along with over 7,000 responses to the consultation. The responses cover all aspects of the review including, stakes and prizes for all gaming machines (including B2 machines), gambling advertising, online gambling and research, education and treatment (RET). All submissions are being carefully considered and a response to the consultation will be published in due course.
We take problem gambling very seriously and protecting vulnerable people is a key aim for the Government and the Gambling Commission. Details of a range of support available to people with gambling problems can be found on the NHS Choices website.
Since the consultation closed Ministers have met a wide range of stakeholders, including those who have experienced problems with gambling, those delivering support services as well as representatives of the betting industry. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on gov.uk. Officials attended those meetings, and have also separately met bookmakers and others with an interest in the consultation since the deadline for responses on 23 January 2018.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - 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 reason it has taken more than three months to assess the evidence on reducing the stakes on fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) following the closure of the consultation on gaming machines and social responsibility measures; and what steps have been taken to ensure that people who experience harm due to the high stakes on FOBTs in the interim are supported.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The Government’s consultation on proposals for changes to gaming machines and social responsibility measures closed on 23 January. We are currently analysing advice from the Gambling Commission which was published on 19 March, along with over 7,000 responses to the consultation. The responses cover all aspects of the review including, stakes and prizes for all gaming machines (including B2 machines), gambling advertising, online gambling and research, education and treatment (RET). All submissions are being carefully considered and a response to the consultation will be published in due course.
We take problem gambling very seriously and protecting vulnerable people is a key aim for the Government and the Gambling Commission. Details of a range of support available to people with gambling problems can be found on the NHS Choices website.
Since the consultation closed Ministers have met a wide range of stakeholders, including those who have experienced problems with gambling, those delivering support services as well as representatives of the betting industry. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on gov.uk. Officials attended those meetings, and have also separately met bookmakers and others with an interest in the consultation since the deadline for responses on 23 January 2018.
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, with reference to Review of gaming machines and social responsibility measures – formal advice, published by the Gambling Commission in March 2018, when he plans to announce a decision on reducing the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
On 31 October 2017 the government published proposals for changes on gaming machines and social responsibility measures. We were clear that we see a case for action on fixed-odds betting terminals, and the consultation outlined a range of options including cutting the maximum stake from £100 to between £50 and £2. The consultation closed on 23 January. On 19 March the Gambling Commission published its advice and the Government will consider this alongside the responses received by the consultation and will publish its response in due course.
Asked by: Nigel Evans (Conservative - Ribble Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of revenue to the Exchequer from fixed-odds betting terminals if the maximum stake on such terminals was reduced to £20.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Gambling regulation is a matter for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Gambling Commission. DCMS are currently undertaking a review of gaming machines, and expect to publish a consultation response document shortly.
In line with their statutory duties, the independent OBR publish the fiscal impact of any government policy that is introduced as part of the Budget process.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the accuracy of the KPMG report submitted to Government by the Association of British Bookmakers on fixed odds betting terminals.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Gambling regulation is a matter for the Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport (DCMS).
DCMS are considering the responses to their consultation on a set of proposals on gaming machines and social responsibility measures and will consider evidence from a range of sources including the KPMG report.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with leaders of faith groups on changes to the levels of stakes on fixed odds betting terminals.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The level of stakes on gaming machines is a regulatory matter for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Gambling Commission.
Details of ministerial meetings with external bodies are published at HMT ministers' meetings, hospitality, gifts and overseas travel - GOV.UK.