Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer says the government hopes to “redress the power imbalance between punters and operators” as it prepares to unveil new Gambling Reforms on the industry.
A new tax on gambling firms and maximum stakes for online slot machines are being considered under government plans to crack down on online addiction. The government is due to publish its highly anticipated gambling review on Thursday following a number of delays.
Gambling Reforms Expected
Among the measures expected to be confirmed in the report is a consultation on new affordability checks on those making significant losses.
Outlining the government’s approach in The Times, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said the white paper will help “redress the power imbalance between punters and operators”. Ms Frazer wrote: “We live in a freedom-loving democracy where, for the overwhelming majority of adults, betting is a bit of fun and it doesn’t come with ruinous consequences.”
She warned that smartphones had become a “trapdoor to despair and isolation” with gambling now “not just on high streets but everywhere and anywhere, providing round-the-clock access to betting opportunities”.
Arguing that regulations had failed to keep up with the pace of change in the industry, Ms Frazer said there were “blindspots in the system that are being exploited, keeping addicts addicted and disproportionately impacting some of our communities who are least able to afford it”.
She added: “Our gambling white paper has measures to redress the power imbalance between punters and operators. It will do more to protect children and fund research on how we can do more to prevent addiction in the future.”
“It will strengthen our regulator and make sure it is as savvy as the companies it regulates. Most importantly, it will match our words with deeds.”
While the full details will only be revealed later on Thursday, the expectation is that the plans will include stake limits for online slot machines and a requirement to slow down online casino games to stop players losing large amounts of money in a short timeframe.
The newspaper reported that the affordability checks under consideration would apply to those who make losses of £1,000 in a day and also those who lose £2,000 over 90 days.
Ministers will also consult on a new mandatory levy to replace the current voluntary levy that will be spent on funding addiction education, treatment and research.
The Times reported that the levy, if enforced, could mean that large companies pay 1% of their profits to potentially fund NHS treatment for those who are addicted.
However, the newspaper said that VIP schemes offering hospitality and bonuses to biggest losers will not be banned.
The government has been under pressure to act with new gambling reforms following a number of cases in which people have taken their own lives over their addiction to gambling.
Last year, the parents of Jack Ritchie, 24, accused the government of being “asleep at the wheel” in their failure to regulate an industry they described as “predatory” and “parasitic”.
A landmark inquest into the suicide of Mr Ritchie found that regulation, NHS treatment and government warnings about the dangers of gambling were “woefully inadequate”.