A report from Guardian chief political correspondent Jessica Elgot highlighted the government’s plans to scrap various legislative proposals, including the Gambling Act review.
The Gambling Act review has been in progress since late 2020 after being included in the Conservative Party manifesto in 2019. However, due to multiple delays, the government has yet to publish a white paper outlining their desired reforms.
The repeated delays have been attributed to changes in personnel, with four different ministers overseeing the legislation since it began. Former responsible official Chris Philp mentioned in his resignation letter in July that the document was awaiting final approval from No 10.
However, Philp’s departure and the subsequent resignation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, leading to the Tory leadership contest, further slowed down the process. It was initially expected that the white paper would be released early in the prime minister’s term.
Regulus Partners analyst and partner, Dan Waugh, expressed his opinion on the potential outcome. Despite reports of strict new rules for the industry in the white paper, particularly regarding affordability and free bets, Waugh believed that abandoning the project at this stage may be detrimental.
He stated, “It is a question of whether the review process itself is a distraction or if there isn’t enough parliamentary time to implement the outcomes. Given the current circumstances, one could argue for the latter. However, after all the efforts made, it would be catastrophic not to publish the findings and policy implications of the review. I hope that at the very least, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) will publish what they have learned.”
Waugh further predicted dire implications for the industry if the gambling review is scrapped, as new rules could potentially be implemented without transparency. He warned of the risk that the Gambling Commission might exploit the situation by imposing its own agenda without public and parliamentary scrutiny or due process.
