Gambling minister: Levy funding needs to be directed where it’s needed most

Secretary of State for Sport, Gambling and Civil Society Stuart Andrew has confirmed the government is set to publish its response to the initial round of consultations surrounding the white paper into the Gambling Act 2005 review.

Speaking at the British Amusement Catering Trade Association (BACTA) Annual Convention on 22 November, Andrew committed to a timeline of when the measures will be finalised and when they will be implemented. 

Andrew said: “My officials are currently analysing the responses submitted through consultation. We intend to publish the government’s response in early 2024, which will outline our precise policy direction on all of these issues.

“All of the measures outlined above will require secondary legislation, and we intend to take the necessary steps to implement these measures by summer 2024.”

The minister added the caveat that “as with all secondary legislation, these timelines will depend on parliamentary time”. 

Andrew discussed the statutory levy that has been the subject of much contentious discussion across the industry. 

He said: “The introduction of the statutory levy is an important counterpart to the broader suite of regulatory protections we and the Gambling Commission (GC) are implementing. 

“While we would all agree that we want to prevent [gambling-related] harm before it occurs, it is also crucial that the public has access to the right help if and when they might need it and that regulation is informed by quality and timely research.

“I want to see increased, independent, sustainable funding to be directed where it is needed most. This will ensure that people across our country can make informed decisions about their gambling and know where to turn for support should they need it,” he added.

A consultation on the statutory levy is currently underway, with the closing date set for 14 December 2023. 

Gambling Commission CEO Andrew Rhodes also gave a speech at the BACTA convention and provided more detail on upcoming consultations that are planned to be opened in the coming months. 

These forthcoming consultations include ways the GC can increase transparency on how it calculates financial penalties, upping the frequency of licensees submitting data to the GC and how the industry can empower customers to use available tools to manage their gambling habits. 

Rhodes reiterated the GC’s commitment to delivering the review “at pace” and added: “As we go through 2024 there will be further consultations and more work where we will look to you to get involved as we implement other areas of the review as well.”

The CEO also noted that when the government published the white paper into the Gambling Act 2005 review in April it wanted a “quick implementation”, and while he respects this ambition, the GC “expects full implementation of the white paper to take the next few years to complete”.

Rhodes reinforced the timeline outlined by Andrew by stating that the GC anticipates a response to the initial rounds of consultations, which closed in October 2023, to be published early in the new year.