Gambling Minister aware of “extremely troubling practices” as gambling act review nears completion
Chris Philp MP commits to working with Department for Health and gives update on Football Index fallout in DCMS question session
Gambling Minister Chris Philp has said he is aware of “extremely troubling practices” by some gambling operators as the review into the Gambling Act 2005 rumbles on.
Speaking in the House of Commons as part of a Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) ministers question session, Philp outlined the progression of the review, as well as touching on departmental collaboration and the fallout of the Football Index collapse.
Philp said the review was “urgent” and noted the white paper would be published “as soon as possible in the coming months” in what will be the first update to the legislation in nearly two decades.
Philp said: “The gambling act review is a priority for this department. We are currently working very carefully through the evidence including the 16,000 submissions that we’ve received.
“I expect that it will see a strengthening of age-related measures and indeed the strengthening of measures more widely.
“Our intention is to find ways of introducing reforms to prevent the very serious harm caused by gambling addiction while allowing those who bet safely to do so. We are going to publish a white paper setting out our plans in the very near future,” he added.
During the session, Labour MP Rachael Maskell, arguing gambling firms were responsible for “grooming and sucking vulnerable people into a web of despair”, pressed Philp on his commitment to work with the Department of Health and Social Care to develop holistic solutions towards gambling-related harm.
In response, Philp said: “There are some extremely troubling practices by some, particularly online, gambling firms that lead people down the path to a very dark place that sometimes leads to suicide. I’ve met with many of the families whose sons, daughters, husbands, wives have tragically committed suicide as a result of gambling addiction.
“In terms of cooperating with the Department for Health and Social Care, I have already met my colleague the Health Minister (Gillian Keegan MP) to discuss this and will be meeting with her again on this topic,” he added.
Finally, Philp touched on the Football Index collapse in which he reaffirmed that customers who lost their funds would not be eligible for compensation.
He said: “The matter has been referred to the insolvency service who are investigating allegations of directors’ misconduct and they do have the power to conduct criminal investigations and criminal prosecutions, including for fraud, if appropriate.
“On the broader question of compensation, there is no statutory basis upon which compensation can be paid to people who have lost money as a result of a betting firm collapsing but those investigations are ongoing,” he concluded.