Online slots stake limit consultation extended after government data error
Government admits to using wrong data for problem gambling among young people in official documents with response deadline pushed back
The government has extended the deadline on its consultation on maximum stake limits for online slots after using incorrect data in its original survey.
The faux pas has seen the government extend the deadline by two weeks until 4 October after it used incorrect problem gambling rates among 16 to 24-year-olds as part of the consultation document.
In chapter five of the original document, ‘Considerations and policy options for protecting young adults using online slots’, the government incorrectly stated the problem gambling rate for the age group stood at 1.5%.
Citing the Public Health England Gambling-related harms evidence review published in 2019, the actual rate stands at 0.8%.
The 1.5% figure is the problem gambling rate for men in the 16 to 24 age group.
A government statement read: “The consultation deadline has been extended by two weeks to give respondents time to consider the correction and respond on this basis.
“The consultation will now close at 11:55pm on 4 October 2023. If you have already submitted a response and wish to re-submit, please email gamblingactreview@dcms.gov.uk.”
The consultation includes three proposals for maximum online slots stake limit for young people.
The first is to implement a £2 per spin limit, the second is a £4 per spin limit and the final option is to apply the same stake limits to all adults, with operators required to consider age as a risk factor for gambling-related harm.
The consultation states: “The government is seeking a balanced approach to the protection of young adults.
“We recognise the evidence of risks which can accompany potentially vulnerable young adults gambling on high-risk online slots at high stakes, but also that as adults we must treat those aged 18 to 24 fairly and proportionately.”
The error from the government comes just over a month after Gambling Commission CEO Andrew Rhodes called for stakeholders to use evidence and statistics correctly amid the fevered debate around gambling reform.