Betting and Gaming Council welcome Gambling White Paper release and reaffirm commitment to safeguarding players

THE Betting and Gaming Council have welcome the Gambling White Paper and will work with the Government and Gambling Commission in a bid to further safeguard players.

The Government today released its long-awaited Gambling White Paper on plans to ward off problem gambling which will include ‘frictionless’ spending checks, a mandatory levy for operators and stake limits for online slot games.

An eight-point plan was released today:

• A statutory gambling operator levy to ensure that operators help fund treatment services and research, including through the NHS. Currently the size of the contribution is not mandated and not all betting companies pay their fair share - some have paid as little as £1.

• New stake limits for online slots games that will be between £2 and £15 per spin. We will also consult on measures to give greater protections for 18–24 year olds who the evidence shows are at heightened risk of harm.

• Frictionless player protection checks to protect those most at risk of harm before unaffordable or harmful losses are incurred.
• Extra powers for the Gambling Commission to enable it to tackle black market operators through court orders and work with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to take down and block illegal gambling sites.
• Rules to prevent bonus offers harming vulnerable people -for example, looking at how free bets or spins are constructed and targeted to stop them being harmful.
• Closing loopholes to make sure under-18s cannot gamble either online or via cash fruit machines, and includes bringing football pools betting in line with National Lottery play for over-18s only.

• A new industry ombudsman to deal with disputes and rule on redress where a customer suffers losses due to an operator failing in their player protection duties.
• A review of the current horserace betting levy to make certain racing continues to thrive. 

Culture secretary Lucy Frazer said: “This will strengthen the safety net and help deliver our long-term plan to help build stronger communities while allowing millions of people to continue to play safely.”

The White Paper release comes after two years of consultation and is bidding to move the regulations into the digital age.

It comes as problem gambling rates have dropped to 0.2 % from 0.3% in previous years while BGC members have increased funding to Research, Education and Treatment services to tackle gambling related harm, committing £110m between 2019 and 2024.