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 the Gambling Commission permits licensees to remotely offer betting services in Northern Ireland without having the requisite betting premises in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Gambling activity in Northern Ireland is a devolved issue regulated under the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (NI) Order 1985. The Gambling Commission has no role in setting or enforcing rules on stake limits, physical premises requirements, and the remote gambling offered in Northern Ireland, or any jurisdiction other than Great Britain.
There is no provision for licensing online gambling in the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (NI) Order 1985, however, under section 5 of the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014 online operators who wish to advertise their services in Northern Ireland must hold a licence from the Gambling Commission.
In accordance with the Statement of Principles for Licencing and Regulation (June 2017), the only time Gambling Commission assumes jurisdiction in Northern Ireland to investigate regulatory breaches is when an Northern Ireland consumer has a dispute with an online operator which is relying on the GB licence it holds from the Gambling Commission.
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 the Gambling Commission permits some licensees to operate gaming machines in betting shops in Northern Ireland at stakes in excess of 25p per spin, the maximum permitted under the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (NI) Order 1985.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Gambling activity in Northern Ireland is a devolved issue regulated under the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (NI) Order 1985. The Gambling Commission has no role in setting or enforcing rules on stake limits, physical premises requirements, and the remote gambling offered in Northern Ireland, or any jurisdiction other than Great Britain.
There is no provision for licensing online gambling in the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (NI) Order 1985, however, under section 5 of the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014 online operators who wish to advertise their services in Northern Ireland must hold a licence from the Gambling Commission.
In accordance with the Statement of Principles for Licencing and Regulation (June 2017), the only time Gambling Commission assumes jurisdiction in Northern Ireland to investigate regulatory breaches is when an Northern Ireland consumer has a dispute with an online operator which is relying on the GB licence it holds from the Gambling Commission.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question
To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to tackle problem gambling.
Answered by Caroline Spelman
Gambling-related harm impacts the lives of hundreds of thousands of people across the country. Of particular concern is the 55,000 children classified as problem gamblers in Great Britain.
The Church of England and the bishops in the House of Lords have regularly raised this issue with the Government, charities and the industry itself.
The Bishop of St Albans successfully campaigned with others to reduce the stake on fixed-odds betting terminals in Great Britain and tabled an amendment to the Northern Ireland Executive (Formation) Bill 2019 to ask the Government to report on the case for legislative and regulatory alignment between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Government accepted this amendment.
The Bishop of St Albans also sponsored a motion for debate in the General Synod of the Church of England, which was passed at the February 2019 session. He also successfully balloted for the House of Lords to establish the Select Committee on the Social and Economic Impact of the Gambling Industry. The Committee Inquiry is underway and is expected to report between March and April 2020.
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: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the amount taken by (a) betting shops and (b) online betting portals in the UK in each of the last five years.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
Gambling policy and regulation is devolved to Northern Ireland, and we do not hold figures covering spending on gambling in Northern Ireland. The Gambling Commission is the regulator for Great Britain and collects industry statistics from operators’ regulatory returns which include data on Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) and turnover. These are published on the Commission’s website: http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/news-action-and-statistics/Statistics-and-research/Statistics/Industry-statistics.aspx.
Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) is the amount retained by operators after the payment of winnings but before the deduction of operating costs. The GGY figure provides a more accurate reflection of consumer behaviour than turnover, as turnover alone includes recycled funds.
Gambling Commission statistics do not provide specific data on the amount taken in betting shops. The nearest equivalent is data provided for off-course betting, which includes over-the-counter and machine GGY in betting shops. This does not include GGY from pool betting (some of which is attributable to betting shops).
GB off-course betting data (April 2012 - Mar 2017):
| Betting Data - Off-course combined GGY (£m) | ||||
| Apr 2012 - Mar 2013 | Apr 2013 - Mar 2014 | Apr 2014 - Mar 2015 | Apr 2015 - Mar 2016 | Apr 2016 - Mar 2017 |
Machines | 1,547.69 | 1,569.14 | 1,685.15 | 1,747.59 | 1,802.61 |
Over the counter | 1,495.08 | 1,437.95 | 1,412.42 | 1,416.08 | 1,386.13 |
Total | 3,042.77 | 3,007.08 | 3,097.57 | 3,163.67 | 3,188.74 |
From November 2014 (remote data)
Since November 2014 the Gambling Commission has collected data from all gambling operators licensed to provide remote gambling services (online and via telephone) to consumers in Great Britain. This followed implementation of the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014.
GB only remote data (£m) (derived from consumers located in Great Britain) | |||
GGY | Nov 2014 - Mar 2015 (5 month period) | Apr 2015 - Mar 2016 | Apr 2016-Mar 2017 |
Total | Total | Total | |
Betting | 456.44 | 1,557.43 | 1736.13 |
Betting Exchange | 52.44 | 151.75 | 170.92 |
Bingo | 66.98 | 150.89 | 162.36 |
Casino | 889.79 | 2,365.85 | 2620.13 |
Pool Betting | 9.82 | 25.90 | 32.32 |
Total | 1,485.47 | 4,251.82 | 4,721.86 |
Before November 2014 (remote data)
Before November 2014, only operators with remote equipment located in Great Britain required a licence from the Gambling Commission. Therefore the Gambling Commission only has data for a small portion of the British-facing remote market before November 2014. Data provided for the period before November 2014 is not directly comparable to data covering the period after this date and does not reflect the total amount spent during this time.
General Remote Data (£m) (derived from operators with remote equipment located in Great Britain) | ||||||
GGY | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2012/13 | 2013/14 | Oct 2013- Sep 2014 |
Betting | 460.85 | 492.25 | 563.96 | 751.70 | 979.83 | 1,192.85 |
Betting Exchange | 146.91 | 145.93 | 46.04 | 32.51 | 29.80 | 27.03 |
Bingo | 1.51 | 2.19 | 2.03 | 2.46 | 4.32 | 7.76 |
Casino | 22.95 | 12.69 | 20.23 | 42.49 | 27.49 | 24.09 |
Pool Betting | n/a | n/a | 77.92 | 103.45 | 93.22 | 95.50 |
Total | 632.22 | 653.06 | 710.18 | 932.61 | 1,134.66 | 1,347.23 |
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what organisations are responsible for monitoring and enforcing anti-money laundering laws.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
There are 25 Anti-Money Laundering (AML) supervisors in the UK. These include the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), HM Revenue and Customs, the Gambling Commission and the 22 accountancy and legal professional bodies listed below:
These supervisors monitor and enforce compliance with AML legislation. This complements the work of law enforcement agencies, including the National Crime Agency, the Serious Fraud Office and local police forces.
The government has reviewed the supervisory regime and is implementing reforms to strengthen it. These include creating a new team – the Office for Professional Body AML Supervision (OPBAS) – within the FCA to help, and ensure, professional bodies provide consistently high standards of supervision. OPBAS will also work across the regime, to facilitate high standards amongst statutory supervisors and strengthen supervisors’ collaboration with law enforcement.
Law enforcement agencies, the FCA, HM Revenue and Customs and the Gambling Commission are subject to the Freedom of Information Act whilst the 22 professional bodies named above are not. The government supports greater transparency to help build public confidence in our regime, and the 2017 Money Laundering Regulations require that all AML supervisors, including the 22 professional bodies, provide information to inform the Treasury’s Annual Supervision Report.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which organisations responsible for monitoring and enforcing anti-money laundering laws are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
There are 25 Anti-Money Laundering (AML) supervisors in the UK. These include the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), HM Revenue and Customs, the Gambling Commission and the 22 accountancy and legal professional bodies listed below:
These supervisors monitor and enforce compliance with AML legislation. This complements the work of law enforcement agencies, including the National Crime Agency, the Serious Fraud Office and local police forces.
The government has reviewed the supervisory regime and is implementing reforms to strengthen it. These include creating a new team – the Office for Professional Body AML Supervision (OPBAS) – within the FCA to help, and ensure, professional bodies provide consistently high standards of supervision. OPBAS will also work across the regime, to facilitate high standards amongst statutory supervisors and strengthen supervisors’ collaboration with law enforcement.
Law enforcement agencies, the FCA, HM Revenue and Customs and the Gambling Commission are subject to the Freedom of Information Act whilst the 22 professional bodies named above are not. The government supports greater transparency to help build public confidence in our regime, and the 2017 Money Laundering Regulations require that all AML supervisors, including the 22 professional bodies, provide information to inform the Treasury’s Annual Supervision Report.
Asked by: Callum McCaig (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of devolving to the Scottish Parliament all aspects of (a) gaming and betting legislation, (b) including curbing the terminals' speed of play and maximum stakes for fixed-odds betting terminals and (c) other regulation of fixed-odds betting terminals.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The Scotland Bill will give the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Ministers the power to vary the number of sub-category B2 gaming machines (FOBTs) permitted by new betting premises licences. The UK Government will retain the equivalent powers on FOBTs for the rest of the UK, except for Northern Ireland where gambling is a devolved matter.
Asked by: Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party - Ross, Skye and Lochaber)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will introduce for the rest of the UK equivalent powers as those proposed in the Scotland Bill on fixed odds betting terminals.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The Scotland Bill would give the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Ministers the power to vary the number of sub-category B2 gaming machines (FOBTs) permitted by new betting premises licences. The UK Government would retain the equivalent powers on FOBTs for the rest of the UK, except for Northern Ireland where gambling is a devolved matter.
In line with our commitment in the St David's Day Agreement, the UK Government is giving careful consideration to whethernon-fiscal recommendations from Lord Smith's commission on devolving powers should be implemented for Wales.