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The Gambling Commission has responded to calls for “urgent” reforms to the Gambling Act by a cross-party group of 38 UK councils and combined authorities.
The local authorities demand more powers to refuse premises licence applications they fear threaten community welfare and safety, in a letter sent from Brent Council to Lisa Nandy, the secretary of state for culture, media and sport, on Wednesday (April 2).
The Gambling Commission said following its advice to the government published in 2023, “when parliamentary time allows, it will introduce powers to enable local licensing authorities to conduct cumulative impact assessments”.
“Once implemented, these could enable those authorities to take account of wider evidence-based factors in their decision-making with regard to the granting or refusing of additional gambling premises licences in certain areas, including, for example, socio-demographic factors,” a Gambling Commission spokesperson told Vixio GamblingCompliance.
The gambling regulator added that the government reiterated this commitment in its English Devolution White Paper published in December 2024.
Councillor Muhammed Butt of Brent Council said the signatories of the letter represent more than 12m people “impacted by outdated legislation on gambling”.
“There’s too much on the line to ignore the harms of betting shops on Britain’s high streets, but our hands are effectively tied by a law no longer fit for purpose. Brent’s Six Point Plan for Change is our blueprint for reform, and we look forward to working with our coalition of councils and the government to put our asks into action.”
The six areas for reform highlighted in the letter include giving local authorities the power to reject premise licence applications that threaten the community’s welfare and safety, and ensuring the incoming National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) places bingo halls and adult gaming centres in the same planning category as bookmakers, so they cannot bypass caps by splitting premises.
It also calls for councils to be able to consider local household debt levels when evaluating planning applications for high-street casinos, and to stop progress on proposals to liberalise adult gaming centres.
Additionally, the councils want an overhaul of gambling advertising, backing a ban on gambling advertising, promotion and sponsorship to prevent exposure, especially to children and young people.
Government Responds To Questions On Gambling Harm Action
The day after the letter was sent, Nandy responded to questions in parliament on what the government is doing to tackle gambling harm.
Regarding gambling advertising, Nandy said the industry has been tasked with raising standards “to ensure that levels of gambling advertising do not exacerbate harm, and we will continue to review the evidence”.
She also highlighted that the government has introduced a new statutory levy to fund research, prevention and treatment, which will “come into effect next week and will raise around £100m every year”.
“The online slot stake limit will come into force on April 9 for the £5 limit and on May 21 for the £2 limit for younger adults. That is a key harm-reduction measure and targeted at those most at risk of harmful gambling,” Nandy said.
