Bacta hopes to sign off on British gambling reforms by summer recess

Members had raised concerns over the possible impact of an early election.

UK.- The gaming hall and amusement trade body Bacta discussed the potential impact of an early General Election in Britain at its latest meeting in Glasgow. Responding to membership concerns, the group’s leadership said it hoped that the statutory instruments agreed under the government’s gambling white paper agenda would be finalised before the start of the summer recess on July 23, avoiding delays as the result of any election. 

Bacta president John Bollom, vice president Joseph Cullis and executive directors George McGregor and Robert Gibb addressed members of the organisation in Glasgow.  

Cullis said: “Following the publication of the white paper last April the ensuing months have been among the busiest periods faced by Bacta in its 50 years serving the industry. This was evident during our meeting in Glasgow when a packed agenda included discussions on the introduction of cashless payments which is unlikely to take place before April 2025, the regulations concerning Category D machines in FECs and an update on the requirement to submit regulatory returns on a quarterly basis.

“Members were also interested in learning about Bacta’s lobbying for a review of stakes and prizes, our recommendations on updating technical standards which were submitted to the Gambling Commission at the end of April and the discussions we are having with the government regarding the introduction of an Ombudsman avoiding the need to resort to primary legislation.

“We were also able to share our plans to produce industry-wide economic and social impact data for members to send to their local MP and parliamentary candidates ahead of the general election and provide insight on how the methodology used in the Gambling Survey of Great Britain – formally known as the Prevalence Study – will result in an increase in the reported incidence of problem gambling and is not comparable to previous data. Bacta is a national organisation and listening to the lived experience of members throughout Great Britain is vital.”

Bacta said it will continue its National Council open forum initiative, which allows members to share concerns and convene responses. The last National Council forum took place in Leeds. There are plans to hold an event in the South West of England after summer.