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One of the key agitators for overhauling gambling policy in the UK has warned that campaigners are set to return with a fresh frontier for reform: a completely new Gambling Act.
Campaigners initially pushed for politicians to scrap the 2005 Gambling Act several years ago, but the then-governing Conservative Party opted instead only to review existing legislation.
That eventually led to the Gambling Act white paper, which, despite being published two years ago this week, has yet to be fully implemented.
But veteran policy commentator James Noyes says that gambling reform campaigners are far from satisfied with that outcome and warned they will return with bolstered ranks and calls for new legislation.
First as a policy advisor to the former deputy Labour leader Tom Watson and more recently as a senior fellow at the Social Market Foundation, Noyes has consistently advocated for various reforms to UK legislation.
Several of his pitches, including a gambling ombudsman and affordability, have come to pass through the white paper, but Noyes says that there are still several areas of much-needed reform that are hampered by legislation that is now 20 years old.
“The inherent paradox of the existing legislation is that no matter how much good work the DCMS (Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport) or the Gambling Commission do, they’re trying to put lots of sticking plasters on a body that’s on the operating table.
“There seem to be several structural flaws to this analogue legislation,” he said, speaking at a Westminster Forum event on Thursday (April 24).
The UK election in Summer 2024 has rewired parliament, with scores of new MPs, especially from the Labour Party, arriving in Westminster for the first time.
“The only reasonable and rational act left is to call for a new gambling act. I would not be surprised if that is where the reform movement will start to focus in the months ahead,” said Noyes.
“I’m sure that the reformers are aware of the scale of such an ambition, but I also know that they have the conviction, the resources and the people to dig in for the long run.”
Noyes' warning was immediately vindicated by one of those new Labour MPs.
Alex Ballinger, the MP for Halesowen, is among the new cohort of Labour politicians elected in 2024.
Ballinger is a new member of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Gambling Related Harm, which has historically been one of the most powerful voices for gambling reform in the UK. He all but confirmed that the group and its peers would soon begin pushing for the government to scrap the existing act.
“There’s a considerable caucus of new MPs that are interested in reforming the Gambling Act,” he said, speaking as the chair of Thursday’s conference. “The gauntlet is in the legislators’ court now. The APPG will be looking at this very closely.”
Most worrying for the industry, Noyes predicted that campaigners will try to ensure that any new act does not contain the “aim to permit” gambling as one of its central tenets.
Even as it tightens regulations, the Gambling Commission is instructed by law to “aim to permit” gambling, which prevents it or the government from introducing the harshest possible measures.
“There’s no reason why the aim to permit couldn’t be revised,” said Noyes.
Sarah Fox, the UK’s head civil servant for gambling policy, said later at the same event that it was not for her to call for a new gambling act, but that any attempt to do so would struggle to find parliamentary time in an already congested calendar.
Fox, who leads the gambling team at DCMS, said her group was focused on closing out the remaining portions of the white paper, but would also take a closer look at advertising, which was left largely untouched in the government’s review and continues to irk campaigners.
“We’re definitely seeing strong parliamentary interest in advertising and sponsorship,” she said.
Fox said she was trying to convene a meeting with the heads of sporting bodies to ensure they are complying with the voluntary sports code on gambling advertising.
“It is an area that we continue to need to get evidence on. Do people just not like advertising because it is annoying, or is it actually harmful?”
Whether on advertising or a new act, however, Fox was confident that the politics of gambling are set to reignite in the near future: “The debate on gambling is far from over, it’s just entering a different phase.”
