It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, although you can forgive punters in the UK for feeling low in festive spirit.
There could be a shortage of gifts to those who enjoy a flutter when the government finally unwraps its Gambling Act review white paper, which like a Guns ‘n Roses album has taken on almost mythic proportions with its delays and interruptions.
But, according to those in the know, the publication of said document could – and I use that term loosely – be imminent.
Christmas Paper
Paul Scully, the Parliamentary under Secretary of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, has also taken on the brief as the UK’s gambling minister. And earlier this week, he appeared on the BBC’s Politics Live programme to confirm that the white paper will be published ‘in the next few weeks’.
However, he insinuated it would not be before Christmas, by caveating his words with ‘it depends how you define ‘the next few weeks’.
Scully is the fifth MP to be actively involved in the gambling white paper, with the chaos of Boris Johnson’s final months as prime minister – and the abomination of Liz Truss’ tenure – witnessing a catalogue of changes within the DCMS.
His job will be to ensure the betting industry is ‘fit for the digital age’, which was one of the Conservative party’s manifesto policies prior to the general election in 2019.
It’s thought that online casino gaming could face the brunt of the white paper, with Rishi Sunak reportedly telling The Times that he is considering introducing a maximum stake of between £2-£5 on online slot machines. That’s to combat a situation he described as a ‘catastrophe’.
And that would be in line with a similar clampdown the Tories imposed on fixed odds betting terminals back in 2018.
A Selection Box of Measures
One of the most crucial elements of the white paper, and the one keeping industry leaders and horse racing connections awake at night like a child excited for the visit of Santa, are affordability checks. More on those later.
Some of the other measures expected to be included in the Gambling Act review include the maximum stakes in online casino gaming as already described, as well as the creation of a focused ombudsman to protect the needs of punters when challenging bookies and betting firms.
There are some who believe the Gambling Commission is ‘not fit for purpose’, and whose wide-ranging stakeholders perhaps leave them open to not always acting in the best interests of the punter. Or, when accused of such a thing, then going crazy with their fines and regulatory action.
The English Premier League was planning to voluntarily ban betting firm sponsorships just prior to Boris getting the boot, and the thought is that such a move will be welcomed by the government. That would likely start with a veto on front-of-shirt branding, before a more widespread ban on gambling sponsorships is considered.
Other possible measures include ‘more robust age verification’, which may just be a quiz on naming old Christmas TV adverts successfully, and an uplift on the number of slot machines and gaming terminals that land-based casinos can offer their players.
One of the original proposals that is not thought to have made it into the white paper is a blanket ban on free bets and VIP programmes, with ministers thought to be satisfied with the extra steps taken by betting sites to limit these.
Festive Foolhardiness
The implementation of affordability checks on punters, even those considered to be ‘soft’ in style, could be catastrophic for the UK betting industry.
If rumours are to be believed, punters could have to provide their bookmaker with proof of earnings and/or bank statements to wager as little as £100 per month.
With concerns over privacy and data storage, that will likely push punters to the black market – using payment methods like Skrill or Neteller, they can bet with offshore betting firms without having to share any sensitive information like their bank account details or debit card number.
That will lead to compromised player safety in the wild west of unlicensed betting sites, will hit the bottom line of gambling firms – who contribute many hundreds of millions to the economy and, devastatingly, could irreparably damage horse racing in the UK.
This is a sport that makes a sizable chunk of its revenue – as much as £350 million a year – through the betting levy, and punters taking their money to overseas operators is hardly going to be a help with that.
Let’s hope that Sunak, Scully and their fellow ministers enjoy a Christmas as revelatory as Ebeneezer Scrooge’s….
