Blow for racing as gambling minister Paul Scully set to move in government reshuffle

The direction of the government's gambling review, including controversial proposals around affordability checks, has been thrown into further doubt with the news that gambling minister Paul Scully is moving to another department as part of prime minister Rishi Sunak's reshuffle on Tuesday.

Scully's departure will be a blow to both the racing and gambling industries who will have been hoping he would remain in his role as he had shown a willingness to listen to the concerns of both sectors.

British racing's leaders have warned that intrusive affordability checks on bettors could wipe tens of millions of pounds from the sport's revenues if they were to be introduced as a result of the gambling review. However, last month Scully told the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) annual meeting that it was not the place of the government or the Gambling Commission to decide how much people could afford to gamble and that ministers favoured "frictionless" checks instead.

Former culture secretary Michelle Donelan, who had been ultimately responsible for the long-delayed gambling review, has been appointed as secretary of state for science, innovation and technology.

The government has confirmed that Scully, who had been the fifth person to hold the gambling brief since the government's review was announced, is set to join her at the new department, although there is no news yet on his successor. 

Donelan has been replaced at a slimmed-down DCMS by Lucy Frazer, the Conservative MP for South East Cambridgeshire. Frazer's appointment will be considered a positive for British racing. Her constituency includes the July course at Newmarket and the National Stud, and she is regarded as a supporter of the sport.

Last year, she joined fellow local MP Matt Hancock and members of the Newmarket racing community in opposing a proposed 2,800-acre solar farm which could neighbour the Limekilns training grounds. Frazer will be the 12th person to be appointed as culture secretary in the last 13 years.

Michael Dugher: welcomed the new secretary of state to her position

BGC chief executive Michael Dugher said: "We warmly welcome the new secretary of state to her position, even though we have had more ministers at DCMS than there are runners in the Grand National. 

"We hope that she will listen to the millions of punters and other important voices in racing who have expressed their deep concern about blanket, intrusive and low-level so-called 'affordability' checks that only drive people to the unsafe unregulated black market online. These pose a massive threat to racing as a world-leading British sport, one that makes a huge contribution to our economy and national life."

He added: "Millions of people enjoy a bet and the overwhelming majority do so perfectly responsibly and safely. The problem gambling rate is 0.3 per cent and low by international comparisons. Future changes to gambling should target problem gamblers and the vulnerable – and leave everybody else alone to choose how they spend their own hard-earned money and leisure time."

Labour MP Carolyn Harris, one of the most prominent campaigners in parliament for gambling reform, tweeted following news of Frazer's appointment: "One of her first tasks will be to publish the white paper on much-needed and long-overdue gambling legislation reform."

There has yet to be an official announcement but the gambling and racing brief looks set to stay at the DCMS and move to one of the other ministers at the department, with sports minister Stuart Andrew a likely candidate.

The government's gambling review was launched in December 2020 but details of its proposals for reform have been the subject of continued delays.

Scully has said the white paper will be published "in the coming weeks" and it had been expected to appear before the end of March. However, there could now be further delays, especially as it had been thought it would appear after government proposals to shake up the regulation of football were published.

That white paper had been expected this week but its publication has reportedly been delayed to the end of this month at the earliest.

Comment: further delays appear inevitable - and that's no good for British racing

The worst fears of the gambling industry and many in horseracing were realised on Tuesday morning after rumours that prime minister Rishi Sunak was planning a mini-reshuffle became a reality.

Rishi Sunak: mini-reshuffle on TuesdayCredit: Daniel Leal

Paul Scully had only been appointed as gambling minister at the end of October, the latest person to be handed responsibility for getting the government's white paper over the line. He had shown a willingness to hear all sides of the argument when it came to gambling reform and only last week held a meeting with members of the Horseracing Bettors Forum.

His comments at the Betting and Gaming Council annual meeting less than a fortnight ago, when he spoke of not telling people how much they could afford to gamble, were especially welcomed by both the bookmaking and racing industries. Now everyone is back to square one again, with a new culture secretary in place and still waiting to hear who will succeed Scully.

It had been hoped the gambling review white paper would finally be published in the next few weeks but further delays appear inevitable. Those delays are no good for British racing which needs certainty about the government's plans, especially confirmation that Scully's views on affordability checks will remain its policy. 

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