Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential benefits to public health of using the tax system to disincentivise consumption of online gambling products.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to strengthening protections to ensure that people can continue to enjoy gambling as a pastime without the harms that can ensue from harmful gambling. We are acutely aware of the impact harmful gambling can have on individuals and their families. We are committed to reviewing the best available evidence from a wide range of sources and working with all stakeholders in order to support the sector and ensure there are robust protections in place to protect those at risk.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Advertising Standards Authority regarding the compliance of gaming companies that are advertising products containing loot boxes with current UK advertising codes.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
My Department meets regularly with representatives of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) on a range of matters.
The ASA and the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) are responsible for setting and enforcing the UK Advertising Codes and are independent of the government. The ASA’s rulings on breaches of loot box advertising code requirements are available at https://www.asa.org.uk/codes-and-rulings/rulings.html
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following further breaches of the Advertising Standards Authority codes on publicising the availability of loot boxes by members of the DCMS technical working group on loot boxes, what steps they will take to ensure that the codes and their oversight are strengthened.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) are responsible for setting and enforcing the UK Advertising Codes and are independent of the government.
The ASA takes firm action to ban adverts for loot boxes that are in breach of their codes and has published comprehensive guidance for advertisers of in-game purchasing. The ASA is assessing the nature and scale of ads that fail to inform the audience of in-game purchasing, and considering further action through individual investigations or enforcement activity conducted by CAP Compliance teams.
We are committed to ensuring that purchases of loot boxes should not be available to children and young people unless and until they are enabled by a parent or guardian; and that all players should have access to and be aware of spending controls and transparent information to support safe and responsible gaming.
In July 2023, the previous Government agreed to new industry-led guidance produced by a DCMS-convened Technical Working Group (TWG) of video game developers ; a 12 month implementation period ended in July 2024. The TWG is preparing a report on industry implementation of the measures, which we urge all video games companies to adopt in full. We are separately commissioning independent academic research to assess the effectiveness of the new guidance in improving player protections and will consider whether further action is required when this research is complete.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce levels of advertising and marketing of gambling, as well as the sponsorship of sporting bodies by gambling companies.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We are in the early stages of the new Government and are still considering the full range of gambling policy. However, the Government recognises the impact harmful gambling can have on individuals and their families and, as stated in its manifesto, the Government is committed to strengthening the protections for those at risk. We will consider the best available evidence from a wide range of sources to inform decisions on how best to fulfil its manifesto commitment to reducing gambling-related harm.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the recent breach of the Advertising Standards Authority codes by DCMS Technical Working Group members Electronic Arts, Jagex, and Hutch Games, what steps they are taking to (1) evaluate, and (2) ensure compliance with, industry-led principles and guidance on the use of paid loot boxes in computer games.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Following our response to the call for evidence on loot boxes in video games, HM Government has welcomed new industry-led guidance to improve protections for all players, including young people.
Measures to protect players should ensure that the purchase of loot boxes is unavailable to all children and young people unless enabled by a parent or guardian, and that all players have access to, and can be aware of, spending controls and transparent information to support safe and responsible playing of games.
We are working closely with the industry and academia to support independent scrutiny of these new measures. The Government has agreed a 12-month implementation period and has asked the industry, co-ordinated by Ukie, to report back to DCMS on the extent to which the new measures have been implemented.
We will continue to keep our position on possible future legislative options under review, informed by academic scrutiny of the industry-led guidance. We will provide a further update following the 12-month implementation period.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the appropriateness of Electronic Arts remaining a member of the Technical Working Group on Loot Boxes, following the ruling by the Advertising Standards Authority that it breached the CAP Code by failing to disclose the presence of in-game purchases in some of its products.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
His Majesty’s Government is committed to ensuring that video games can be enjoyed safely and responsibly by everyone.
The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that Electronic Arts had breached the Committee of Advertising Practice guidance on two of its adverts by failing to disclose the presence of in-game purchases including random items. We understand that Electronic Arts has responded that the error has been resolved and the adverts removed, which the Advertising Standards Authority has acknowledged.
In July 2023, video games trade body Ukie published new, industry-led guidance on loot boxes to improve player protections. The guidance was developed by a DCMS-convened Technical Working Group which brought together knowledge and expertise from major games companies and platforms operating in the UK, including Electronic Arts. The group met eight times and engaged with academics, the Games Rating Authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office, and the Competition and Markets Authority.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their policy paper High Stakes: Gambling Reform for the Digital Age, published on 27 April, when they will publish the cross-sport Code of Conduct outlined in that paper; and whether they will include an implementation timeline.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
All domestic sports governing bodies have agreed to four core principles underpinning the cross-sport Code of Conduct on gambling sponsorship: (i) protecting children and young people; (ii) socially responsible promotion; (iii) reinvestment in sport; and (iv) maintaining sporting integrity. These principles put in place a robust minimum standard for sponsorship across all sports. Through the code, a proportion of in-stadium advertising will be dedicated to safer gambling, and replica kits for adults will be made available without gambling logos, alongside the existing requirements for children’s replica kits.
We want sports governing bodies to have sufficient flexibility to implement these principles in a way which maximises impact for the sports and their fans. Bespoke, sport-specific codes are currently being designed by individual governing bodies, and will be published and implemented in due course. The Premier League and English Football League plan to have their codes in place by next season. DCMS will continue to work closely with sports bodies to ensure that implementation and enforcement processes are robust.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the joint report by the University of Bristol and Channel 5 New Season, More Self-Regulation, More Marketing, published in September 2023, which found that 92 per cent of social content marketing ads sent by major gambling brands in the opening weekend of the Premier League were not clearly identifiable as advertising.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
His Majesty’s Government recognises that, while millions of people gamble online without experiencing problems, for some it becomes an addiction with serious consequences. In our approach to gambling advertising, we have struck a balanced and evidence-led approach which tackles aggressive advertising that is most likely to appeal to children, while recognising that advertising is an entirely legitimate commercial practice for responsible firms.
There are robust rules in place to ensure that gambling advertising is socially responsible and cannot be targeted at or strongly appeal to children. The Government welcomed the voluntary whistle-to-whistle ban on TV betting advertisements during live sports programmes, agreed by industry. According to figures from the Betting and Gaming Council, the ban reduced the number of views of gambling advertisements by children (aged 4–17) by 70 per cent over the duration of live sporting programmes. We also welcomed the Premier League’s announcement that it will ban gambling sponsors from the front of shirts, and are working with a wider group of sports governing bodies to introduce a code of conduct on responsible gambling sponsorship.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for strengthening current advertising codes, including the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP) code 2.1.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Advertising Standards Authority is responsible for the enforcement of the advertising codes while its sister organisation, the Committee of Advertising Practice, codifies advertising standards. Both organisations operate independently of the Government and monitor developments in technology and advertising techniques to ensure that the codes are enforced and remain fit for purpose.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that companies, such as Meta, appropriately regulate advertisements on their platforms to ensure compliance prior to publication; and whether they will consider imposing a ban on platforms that repeatedly fail to do so.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Online advertising in the UK is regulated independently by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) which administers and enforces the advertising codes. While the codes apply to advertisers, the ASA works with major platforms including Meta through its Intermediary and Platform Principles pilot to help uphold the UK Non-broadcast Advertising Code.
The Government’s Online Advertising Programme is creating a new regulatory framework to tackle illegal advertising and to increase protections for children across the online advertising supply chain. We will legislate when parliamentary time allows, and will publish a second consultation on the details of the framework. In the meantime, we have created the Online Advertising Taskforce to bring industry and government together to drive non-legislative action.