BETTER CHANGE
Publications, deliberations, and consultations - 2023: a year of progress?
Better Change founder, Victoria Reed, looks back at 2023 and strongly suggests 2024 is the year to stand up and be counted.
“I 38 JANUARY 2024
have in my hand a piece of paper, A gambling act review in our time!” Ok ok… these were not the exact words that Lucy Frazer MP used when, after a two-year wait, the UK government’s white paper on gambling reform was fi nally published, but given
the notoriety and overly infl ated hype around the release of these proposals such a grand declaration might not have looked out of place! Titled ‘High Stakes: gambling reform for the digital age’, the infamous white paper was the big story of the year in the gambling world, but in all its underwhelming 268-page glory was there any big surprises? Any shocks? Any bombshells? Well no, it was pretty much what we expected. The purpose of the gambling act review was always to bring
regulation up to date refl ecting the advancements of online gambling since the last review in 2005. Whilst this is very much still the case and the main areas of deliberation centre around online stakes, affordability, the protection of younger gamblers and bonuses/VIP schemes, there are a couple of proposals that will cause seismic change to the landscape of gambling regulation in the UK with it’s ripples undoubtedly being felt around the world as other jurisdictions wonder whether they should follow suit or avoid like the plague.
More powers for the regulator We saw the UK regulator fl ex its muscles in March when it issued the largest fi ne on record slapping a £19.2million on William Hill for what it saw as failure to protect their customers and “weak” anti-money laundering (AML) processes. The white paper proposes a review of their funding to ensure there is adequate resources for them to carry out their work as well as more enforcement powers.
Instead of this sending a shiver down the spine of those holding a UK licence there is cause for cautions optimism. Gambling Commission CEO Andrew Rhodes has been very visible over the past 12 months speaking at conferences and meeting with key stakeholders in the industry. There is an appetite on all sides for a more proactive and collaborative relationship. This is evident in the setting up of an industry forum and although it is a shame it does not have the status of an advisory panel the like of which those with lived experience of gambling harm enjoy, it is a start and Rome was not built in a day! Let’s face it huge fi nes or regulatory settlements make neither the operators or the regulators look good, as with William Hill these cases get splashed all over the media and cause a great deal of reputable harm. Yes, organisations which fall short of the standards required need to be brought to task but surely a collaborative environment as opposed to a big stick is the best way to go.
Protecting players from harm (and prohibitionists) I would like to ask you a question, is gambling in any form inherently harmful? Phrased another way is it ever possible to gamble safely? I ask because this year a sustained campaign in the UK from anti-gambling bodies has sought to class gambling as a public health issue like tobacco or illegal drugs and as a result the white paper proposes a reform of the way support for gambling related harm is funded by introducing a mandatory levy on the industry. It is important that we have the right provision of care for those
negatively affected by gambling and for the small minority that experience severe gambling harms and addiction, it is necessary
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