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, if he will hold an independent public inquiry into the circumstances of the collapse of Football Index.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The government is taking the collapse of Football Index and the concerns of those affected by it very seriously, and the Secretary of State and I have met the Gambling Commission to receive urgent updates. We are particularly keen to understand both how this situation came about and what lessons we can learn from these events. Further details will be provided in due course.
DCMS officials were made aware of the challenges facing Football Index in March 2021 shortly before the Gambling Commission suspended the licence of BetIndex Ltd, the operator of Football Index. The Gambling Commission’s regulatory investigation is ongoing. While we have been in close contact with the Commission as it continues its investigation, its role as set out in the Gambling Act is to conduct investigations fully independent of Government. It is not for the government to direct independent regulatory bodies on individual cases.
Our Review of the Gambling Act 2005 is considering a range of questions around the regulation of gambling, including the powers and resources of the Commission and whether any changes to the legislation are required to make it fit for the digital age. The review will also consider whether an alternative system of consumer redress, such as an ombudsman, is needed. Our call for evidence closed on 31 March and we are carefully considering the responses received.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
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.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
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.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government plans to set up a gambling ombudsman independent of betting operators.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government welcomes the National Audit Office’s report on Gambling Regulation: Problem Gambling and Protecting Vulnerable People and is considering its recommendations carefully, including the recommendation to review whether arrangements for consumers when things go wrong are working effectively.
The government has also committed to review the Gambling Act 2005 to make sure it is fit for the digital age. Further details will be announced in due course.