Following the announcement of the government’s gambling white paper, it has since emerged that a Conservative member successfully lobbied culture secretary Lucy Frazer on behalf of a well-establish London casino.
Gambling Laws For Casinos
The government’s wide-scale review has set in motion a significant overhaul to the UK’s gambling industry, with a particular focus on online operators who, up to this point, had not been subject to tough controls relative to brick-and-mortar establishments.
However, luxury casinos that attract high-rollers are seen as a gateway for important tourism into the country, and as such have escaped stringent regulation changes in favour of a relaxation as to what they can offer customers.
This is thanks in no small part to Tory MP Philip Davies, who lobbied the culture secretary Lucy Frazer on behalf of a casino to include a measure that then appeared in the government’s legislation.
According to the Guardian, Les Ambassadeurs in Mayfair entertained the member for Shipley who then reciprocated their hospitality by lobbying for favourable gambling laws for casinos, which allows them to open credit lines to gamblers.
In his letter to Frazer, he noted that the casino are one of the major economic forces in the gambling industry and restricting them would be detrimental, citing a “leading 1% of our gross gaming yield.”
Les Ambassadeurs said it had “provided information to help inform his letter,” and also confirmed it had invited Davies for a fine dining experience and tour in January of this year.
A long-term advocate for the gambling industry, he is also said to be one of the more notable beneficiaries in parliament – he received £50,000 working as ‘safe gambling’ advisor for Ladbrokes.
The letter lobbying for favourable casino laws and the ability to open customer credit lines came as a result of a freedom of information request by the Good Law Project.
