Although another delay to the government gambling white paper has left regulators and charities angered, it is increasingly likely that the review will be published shortly after the Easter recess, which concludes on April 17th.
Government Gambling White Paper: What Does it Mean For Operators and Bettors?
Details of ministers’ gambling reform are yet to be fully divulged, but the vast majority of the review has reportedly been leaked over the past several months.
In what will undoubtedly be the biggest shake-up to the UK’s gambling industry, both operators and bettors themselves will be subject to more stringent regulations, in the hopes of massively reducing the number of problems gamblers across the country, thought to be as many as 300,000.
Perhaps the most controversial detail to emerge is the introduction of affordability checks, which 65% of bettors opposed in a recent study conducted by YouGov and OLGB. This would see users forced to supply evidence of their earnings in order to prove they can continue to bet, thus eliminating the risk of gambling-induced debt.
These have already began to drip feed through on some platforms, which is estimated to have cost horse racing millions of pounds in revenue according to senior figures within the sport.
Players under 25 could also be restricted from staking in excess of £2 per-spin online under the government’s new guidelines.
Elsewhere, operators themselves are likely to be subject to a whole host of changes, most notably the introduction of a levy which will help fund treatment programmes for those struggling with debt and gambling addiction, and hold companies accountable for the darker side of wagering.
Furthermore, free bet bonus offers and promotions will be subject to harsher controls, if they are to be found to be targeting those who fall under most-at-risk groups.
Premier League clubs will also be forced to remove gambling related sponsors from the front of shirts, although it is unclear what the review will say in regards to advertising around football grounds and on television.
Nearly half of all British adults bet every month, but with around 1.8million at risk of harm, and 300,000 currently in the midst of addition or debt, the government’s stance has been welcomed by the vast majority of operators and keen bettors.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer told ministers: “I am confident that the societal benefits in harm reduction outweigh the projected costs to industry, and that much of the drop in online revenue will be the foregone income from people gambling unaffordably.”
