When will the government tighten rules to curb problem gambling?

A white paper on gambling has been postponed repeatedly for two years now, writes John Rentoul

The paper was most recently held up by Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle last month (PA Archive)

Record fines of £19m imposed on William Hill for failing to protect customers, including one who was allowed to open an account and spend £23,000 in 20 minutes without any checks, raise the question of what has happened to the government’s promise of new laws.

A white paper on gambling has been promised since December 2020, but has been repeatedly postponed.

The white paper is expected to include measures to require companies to check new customers to prove that they can afford the bets they say they want to make. But the industry has been lobbying against the changes, and ministers have been distracted by other complicated issues, including the regulation of online betting, advertising, and a statutory levy on companies to pay for the treatment of problem gambling.

The white paper was most recently held up by Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle last month, when Michelle Donelan, the culture secretary, was replaced by Lucy Frazer, and Paul Scully, the gambling minister was replaced by Stuart Andrew.

Frazer spoke to the Gambling with Lives annual parliamentary forum on 1 March, where she said: “I know it must be very frustrating to have yet another ministerial team leading the government’s work on gambling, and I know that you might be worried about further delays to the white paper.”

She insisted that the white paper is “an absolute priority for me” and that she and the prime minister are committed to publishing it “soon”. Then came the inevitable “but”, and went on: “I do want to give these issues justice and take some time to make sure that I do meet with you and others to really understand the issues.”

Thus we have arrived at the final week before parliament’s Easter recess, which starts on Friday, and there is still no sign of the white paper. Industry sources are now speculating that it will be delayed further, when parliament returns on 17 April, because government will then be entering the period of purdah before the local elections on 4 May, which will be followed by the coronation.

However, there is no good reason why the white paper should be affected by the local elections, because the issue of regulating the gambling industry is not a strongly party-political subject of controversy. It is controversial, but it tends not to divide the parties.

So there must be a good chance that the white paper will be published next month, but it is worth acknowledging Frazer’s point that it is important that the new ministerial team gets to grip with the difficult issues involved.

She also made the point in her 1 March speech that the white paper “will not be the last word on reform”. Although white papers are supposed to be firm legislative proposals, as opposed to green papers, which are for discussion, the law-making process has become more flexible over the years, and laws continue to be amended as they go through parliament.

However, the penalties imposed on William Hill underline the urgency of the need to tighten the law, so that such problems are less likely to arise in the first place.