UK: Bacta adds voice to pressure on gov to deliver gambling white paper

Bacta CEO John White has asked Lucy Frazer to guarantee publication of the gambling white paper will come soon.

UK.- Both gambling industry stakeholders and campaigners are starting to lose patience after a year of delays in the publication of Britain’s gambling white paper with more now putting pressure on the government to deliver something.

The UK government began a review of the 2005 Gambling Act in 2020. Responsibility for the matter has since passed through the hands of five ministers, and it’s not yet known who will be the sixth following Paul Scully‘s departure from a slimmed-down Department of Culture, Media and Sport, now under Lucy Frazer.

The British Amusement Catering Trade Association (Bacta) has now added its voice to growing calls to finally deliver a paper that was said to be almost finished in mid-2022. Chief executive John White has written to Frazer to seek confirmation that the conclusion of the review is still due to be published soon.

He repeated Bacta’s view as to the priorities of the review, saying that the gambling sector “greatly needs” reform and a new regulatory framework that’s fit for purpose. However, he said Bacta members were concerned that the latest departmental reshuffle could again put back the timeline and invited Frazer to discuss the next steps.

White said the amusement machine industry body would work with the DCMS to avoid further delays and noted that Bacta had forged “positive” relationships with Scully and former culture secretary Michelle Donelan.