UK LEGAL COMMENT James A Taylor/Adobe Stock


Northridge Law’s Melanie Ellis looks at recent reports and the influence they may have on the government’s forthcoming Gambling Act review


UK LEGAL M


alcolm X called the media “the most powerful entity on earth” and that has certainly proved accurate when it comes to its influence on the regulation of the UK gambling industry. The Guardian


newspaper has arguably been at the forefront of anti-gambling sentiment and the impact of a couple of its recent articles could be significant, given the imminent completion of the Government’s Gambling Act review.


24 FEBRUARY 2022 Firstly, the paper obtained a leaked copy of the


Parliamentary All Party Betting & Gaming Group’s investigative report into the Gambling Commission. The headline “MPs criticise UK gambling regulator for trying to reduce addiction” dampened the impact of the report’s conclusions and may have contributed to the resignation of three of the MPs who formed the group, along with the rather strong language used in the report itself. The report, which examined whether the Commission has acted beyond its powers, in breach of the Regulators’ Code and/or


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