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UK MPs Propose Radical Measures for Reformation of the Gambling Industry
By Jeff Osienya Jun 21, 2020 Industry50 UK MPs have allied to push for a far-reaching transformation of the gambling sector. Industry players have come out to oppose the reforms as they would end up doing more harm than good.50 cross-party members of parliament in the UK came together to launch a safer gambling coalition by the name Gambling Related Harm All Party Parliamentary Group for (GRH APPG). The main purpose of this new alliance was to reduce the rate of gambling harm in the UK by pushing for radical reforms, especially for online gambling.
The GRH APPG has now published a report that includes what it terms as ’30 evidence-based recommendations’ to call for an overhaul of the laws of the Gambling Act of 2005, and a reshuffle of UK’s gambling regulatory body (UKGC), among other sweeping changes. This report was drafted after a public inquiry which started back in March 2019 plus over a dozen meetings and public evidence sessions with the UKGC.
Heavy-Handed Recommendations
On top of deeming the UKGC as ‘not fit for purpose’ and wanting to restructure the UK Gambling act so that it becomes ‘fit for our digital age’ the group is also pushing for a ban on all gambling-related advertisements and a £2 limit on the stakes wagered on online slot machines. The GRH APPG also went ahead to claim that the country’s ombudsman is struggling to keep up with the rapidly growing UK industry, and is far much behind when compared to what other countries are doing when it comes to online gaming restrictions.
The group is also calling for the ban of all VIP programs and a complete revaluation of stakes, buy-ins, prize pools, and even the affordability limits that are currently executed by the UKGC. As is already the case in Australia, the safer gambling alliance is similarly endorsing a restriction on live sports betting to retail facilities or through the telephone.
There being about 395,000 problem gamblers in the UK, the GRH APPG now proclaims that problem gambling should instead be considered a public health crisis. MP Carolyn Harris, the chairperson of the group voiced her emphatic concern on the matter by saying;
" This multi-million-pound industry has destroyed people’s lives… They resist change at every turn and claim to be reforming themselves but put forward limited changes... We cannot ignore this any longer… Urgent change is needed to stop this industry riding roughshod over people’s lives.”
Strong Opposition for the GRC APPG Approach
In light of the new developments, trade unions and industry regulatory bodies have also come out vehemently to oppose the newly proposed restrictions. Stephen Woodford, UK’s Advertising Association (AA) boss released a statement saying that the extensive ban is an unnecessary move. While acknowledging that all UKGC licensed operators must abide by the highest standards, Woodford warned that the propositions would negatively affect the support that sports enjoy from media channels and millions of people across the country.
The Betting and Gaming Council (BCC) on the other hand discouraged the measures and cautioned that they would end up driving players away from licensed UK platforms. As such players would instead seek the flexibility in black market, offshore, unregulated and illegal operators that don’t conform to any safeguards or standards that are aimed for the protection of vulnerable problem gamblers. In the same way, the UKGC also called out the discrediting claims made by the GRH APPG and outlined some of the effective measures it has been implementing to make gambling safer over the last two years.
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