UK gambling licensees on tenterhooks amid possible dissolution of DCMS
The Labour government reportedly plans a major overhaul of departments, including the one responsible for gambling policy.
UK.- For years, the gambling sector has been building relationships with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which is responsible for the British government’s gambling policy. But it seems that things could all be about to change. The Sunday Times reports that Prime Minister Keir Starmer‘s main strategist, Morgan McSweeney, is to propose a major cabinet and departmental restructuring following an upset at recent local council elections.
One of the most surprising suggestions is that the DCMS could be eliminated completely, with its duties to be split among other departments. That would be a landmark move since the department has existed in one form or another since 1992. Its abolition would see the end of Lisa Nandy’s tenure as secretary of state while the future of gambling minister Baroness Twycross would also be in doubt.
The DCMS led the long drawn out review of gambling legislation, leading to the publication of the Gambling White Paper of 2023. The resulting reforms are still ongoing, with a consultation on land-based gambling to close this month. Removing the department now may not be the best timing for the gambling sector as it could lead to further delays in completing the implementation of regulatory changes.
New stake limits and the mandatory gambling levy have only just been implemented, while land-based gambling reforms, the creation of a gambling ombudsman and a final verdict on financial risk checks remain pending. Stakeholders may also have been hoping to have the ear of the DCMS on the government’s controversial propoal to unify online gambling taxes under a single new UK Remote Betting and Gaming Duty.
Departmental changes could also potentially affect the Gambling Commission’s GamProtect project, which is working towards the implementation of a single customer view for gambling activity. If the government does go ahead and split the DCMS, many of its functions are likely to go to the business and treasury departments, while the social side of its duties would probably go to education and welfare.
