UK strengthen policies against gaming

Gambling operations will be controlled until December 4 to collect data on impacts in society.

UK.- Minister of State for Sport, Tourism and Heritage in the UK, Tracey Crouch announced yesterday that the government will reinforce the control in the gambling activities, collecting data about the industry’s impacts in players’ health and the communities they live in. High stakes fixed-odds gambling machines and its advertising tactics will be under the spotlight of the investigation, which will comprise all gaming services.

According to the Minister, the government will collect information until December 4. Based on the results, legislators will consider amendments for current regulation for the industry and further laws to control the activity. Crouch called for evidence in order to set legislation to strike the right balance between allowing the industry to contribute to the economy and enable people to bet responsibly.

The government’s concern is mostly focus on the lack of control on gambling advertising through several media. Newly appointed Culture Secretary Karen Bradley underlined the frequency of betting adverts on television. “I know my children can recite just about every gambling advert that there is,” she told the MPs in an appearance today before the Commons’ select committee for culture. “I am interested as a parent and I’m also interested as a secretary of state in understanding what the impacts are on young people of that advertising.”

UK authorities had held similar inquiry in 2013, which led to new legislation based on the investigation. Since then, the Association of British Bookmakers confirmed it had introduced a range of new responsible gaming measures and welcomed a new evidence-based review of the industry, including “giving gaming machine players the ability to set a limit on the amount of money they spend or time they play for, no advertising of gaming machines, the first cross operator national self-exclusion scheme and the new £50 stake limits,” as spokesman for the industry group commented.