BETTER CHANGE
Hey! What about us?
Rob Mabbett, Better Change’s engagement director, considers the air of uncertainty over various reforms which have not advanced a great deal since the government’s white paper was published well over a year ago.
H
ello everyone and welcome to August’s Better Change article, I hope you are all enjoying the
summer months.
As we have spoken about previously, the gambling landscape in the UK continues to be as turbulent and unpredictable as the weather! The latest distraction to the progress of the gambling act review being a general election and a change of government after 14 years. In our last article we looked at the possible scenarios that a change of government might mean for gambling regulation in the UK however as the Kings speech was read out in parliament detailing the governments priorities for the next 12 months, there was no mention whatsoever about the review of the gambling act. This does not mean that progress will stop but it creates an air of uncertainty over various reforms which have not advanced a great deal since the white paper was published well over a year ago. Online slot limits of £5 and guidance around
18 AUGUST 2024
agreed framework from the summer consultations including lower limits and extra protections for 18–24-year-olds. Other elements of the white paper such as the introduction of a gambling ombudsman and a mandatory levy for the research, prevention and treatment of gambling harm may not be as straightforward. Conversations between key stakeholders regarding the formation of an challenges which need careful consideration and thought. What is the remit of a gambling operator in terms of their duty of care to the customer? What about the treatment services and support services such as helplines? What would be the level of redress if an operator were found to have been in the wrong? There is simply no precedent the role of an ombudsman would go well beyond the roles of current ADR organisations. The same can be said of a mandatory levy, there needs to be a framework in place before a penny is
allocated, who is in charge of Research, of prevention and of treatment? What would their plan be for the allocation of funds, how do we know how much funding is needed and what is the scale of the problem? In the UK we have not seen treatment statistics from the national network for two years however it is suggested that online operators will pay a levy of 1% of their gross gambling yield whilst land-based operators will commit 0.4% of their GGY given the additional running costs of their business. This will raise between £60 and increase on what is currently provided though the current system which is not backed up by any data.
I imagine at this point you are thinking why would an organisation such as Better Change who’s focus is on safer gambling not be delighted with the additional funds being made available? Well the answer is simple, we will not create a great system that provides high quality research, prevention and
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