Wales may control fixed-odds in the UK
The UK is considering delegating the control of the gaming sector to Wales’s authorities.
UK.- Wales would become the manager of fixed-odds services in the United Kingdom, as it is being debated on the House of the Lords. Currently, the power to ban casino machines and services is under the government of Westminster in London and of Scotland. Cardiff would become the new head-quarter to decide on gambling sector.
Whilst the UK government is considering the resolution, Wales Minister Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth expressed, “I would want to look at this again, to reflect on it, in relation to the points that have been made and bring this back at report stage.” And he added that the Silk Commission, Welsh commission in charge of the devolution of fiscal powers to the local Assembly, had made no recommendations on gambling.
If the amendment on the Wales Bill, introduced by the Labour peer and assembly member Baroness Morgan of Ely is approved, the nation would be able to manage the amount of gambling machines in the UK, as well as restrict the number of high stakes betting machines. The gaming sector generates £1.6 billion profit for bookmakers annually.
“Evidence suggests that these machines are highly addictive, causing real and lasting damage to gamblers. They have become a huge problem in communities that are often struggling to cope with under-investment and high unemployment, exacerbating the problem of gambling more than any other former of betting,” explained Baroness Morgan.
