MPs launch investigation into regulation of gambling

MPs have announced an inquiry into the government's approach to gambling regulation, as the wait goes on for ministers to deliver the much-delayed gambling review white paper.

The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee has launched a call for evidence which is due to close on February 10.

The committee said it would examine the government’s approach to the regulation of gambling "following warnings that more needs to be done to protect people, including children, from gambling-related harm".

It will also investigate the progress the government has made in addressing the issues raised by parliament, how to ensure regulation can keep up with innovations in online gambling and the links between gambling and broadcasting and sport.

DCMS committee member Julie Elliott MP said: "Gambling acts as an enjoyable pastime for large numbers of players, but regulation is struggling to keep pace with the rapidly changing way in which it happens today.

"This puts people at risk of the devastating harm it can sometimes cause to lives. The DCMS committee’s inquiry will look at the scale of gambling-related harm in the UK, what the government should do about it and how a regulatory regime can best adapt to new forms of online gambling, based both in and outside the UK."

The terms of reference of the call for evidence include questions asking what the scale of gambling-related harm is in the UK and what the key priorities should be in the gambling white paper, although that document is expected to be published in January or February.

They also include asking how broadly the term gambling be drawn, given the debate over whether loot boxes in video games should be classified as gambling.

The call for evidence also asks whether it is possible for a regulator to stay abreast of innovation in the online sphere and what additional problems arise when online gambling companies are based outside UK jurisdiction.

The Betting and Gaming Council said it welcomed the inquiry as "a further opportunity for the regulated industry to show our continued commitment to raising standards in safer gambling and to demonstrating our support for the UK economy".

Chief executive Michael Dugher added: "I am sure that the committee’s inquiry, like the government’s gambling review, will be genuinely 'evidence-led' and has to strike a careful balance in making recommendations that are about protecting the vulnerable while not unfairly impacting on the millions of customers who bet perfectly safely and responsibly."

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