Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 70 of her Department's High Stakes: Gambling Reform for the Digital Age white paper published on April 2023, what progress her Department has made on undertaking a consultation into potential regulation for large prize draw competitions.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
In recent weeks, I have met with the largest prize draw operators in the industry, in line with the gambling white paper's commitment to look at prize draws. The department has also commissioned independent researchers to gather evidence about the size and nature of the prize draw sector, including its role in charity funding, risks and player protection and understanding. The research consists of an AI-powered web scrape, together with industry surveys and operator engagement. The research will conclude in January and will inform a consultation on potential regulation in due course.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has considered making changes to the existing requirements for (a) full and (b) remote ancillary licences for society lotteries in the context of increases in the use of handheld electronic devices in recruiting subscribers.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
I am aware of this issue, which was raised with me when I met with representatives of the Lotteries Council on 23 May.
Section 4 of the Gambling Act 2005 states that where a telephone (or other forms of electronic communication) are used to participate in gambling, it will be treated as remote gambling.
Under the Gambling Act all operators that offer remote gambling are required to hold a remote operating licence. This means that if a lottery sells tickets face to face and remotely by telephone or online it will need two licences. The holder of a non-remote lottery operating (society) licence pays an annual fee of only £50 for an ancillary licence, if its remote proceeds in that year do not exceed £250,000. Annual fees for standalone remote licences range from £400 to £796 depending on proceeds.
I therefore have no current plans to amend the society lottery licensing arrangements in the Gambling Act.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if the Government will take steps to ensure that potential proposed amendments to the Gambling Act in response to the Gambling Review do not adversely affect charity lotteries.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The Review of the Gambling Act 2005 was launched on 8 December with a wide-ranging Call for Evidence, which closed on 31 March. We received c.16,000 submissions to the Call for Evidence from a range of stakeholders and members of the public. We are considering all submissions carefully, including evidence relating to society or charity lotteries, and aim to publish a white paper outlining any conclusions and proposals for reform by the end of the year.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will consult on the potential merits of providing large society lotteries the choice of a £50 million or £100 million annual licence, as set out in the Response to the Consultation on Society Lottery Reform published on 16 July 2019.
Answered by John Whittingdale
In July 2020 the annual sales limit for society lotteries increased from £10 million to £50 million. This increase will enable us to monitor the impact on the sector and build a robust evidence base, particularly with regard to the impact on the proportion of proceeds being returned to good causes.
Any future change would need to increase good cause returns across the sector, and we wish to be confident that the regulatory framework is right for fundraising at this scale. We have no present plans to consult on making further changes to the annual sales limit.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the ban on online advertising of foods high in fat, salt or sugar on the (a) creative and digital advertising sector and (b) food and drink sector.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Prime Minister has made it clear that tackling obesity is a priority for this Government. In July 2020 the Government outlined it’s Tackling Obesity strategy which details a host of measures aimed at improving the chances of citizens living a healthy lifestyle.
The Government proposed various options for restricting HFSS advertising in the 2019 and 2020 consultations targeted at protecting children from being exposed to advertising of unhealthy food products.
Balanced against the priority of protecting children and tackling obesity, we have carefully considered the impact that any restrictions will have on industry and in particular the potential for market distortion or disproportionate effects on key business sectors.
The final policy will be set out in our consultation response due to be published shortly. The Government is committed to acting collaboratively to prepare businesses, individuals and organisations for changes to the rules around HFSS advertising.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on the effect of restrictions on online advertising of foods high in fat, salt or sugar on small businesses in the food and drink sector.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Prime Minister has made it clear that tackling obesity is a priority for this Government. In July 2020 the Government outlined it’s Tackling Obesity strategy which details a host of measures aimed at improving the chances of citizens living a healthy lifestyle.
The Government proposed various options for restricting HFSS advertising in the 2019 and 2020 consultations targeted at protecting children from being exposed to advertising of unhealthy food products.
Balanced against the priority of protecting children and tackling obesity, we have carefully considered the impact that any restrictions will have on industry and in particular the potential for market distortion or disproportionate effects on key business sectors.
The final policy will be set out in our consultation response due to be published shortly. The Government is committed to acting collaboratively to prepare businesses, individuals and organisations for changes to the rules around HFSS advertising.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of proposed (a) advertising and (b) promotional restrictions on foods high in fat, salt or sugar on the structure of the UK advertising market.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
My department and the Department of Health and Social Care have carefully considered all views and potential impacts of advertising and promotional restrictions on foods high in fat, salt or sugar, inclusive of sponsorship and outdoor advertising. This includes feedback from a wide range of experts and stakeholders on specific policy proposals and in response to our public consultations.
The final impact assessment on mandating calorie labelling of food and drink in out-of-home sector is available at the following link:
The final impact assessments on the proposals to restrict the promotion of foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) by location and by volume is available at the following link:
The developmental impact assessment on further advertising restrictions on TV and online was published alongside the 2019 consultation on this policy. This is available at the following link:
An evidence note was published alongside the consultation on the proposal to introduce a total restriction of online advertising for HFSS products. This builds on the impact assessment that accompanied the 2019 consultation and is available at the following link:
A consultation proposing a total restriction of online advertising for products high in fat, salt and sugar closed on 22 December 2020 and is available at the following link:
We will publish the final impact assessment on further advertising restrictions on TV and online alongside the full response to the consultations shortly.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of proposed (a) advertising and (b) promotional restrictions on foods high in fat, salt or sugar on (i) sponsorship (ii) outdoor advertising.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
My department and the Department of Health and Social Care have carefully considered all views and potential impacts of advertising and promotional restrictions on foods high in fat, salt or sugar, inclusive of sponsorship and outdoor advertising. This includes feedback from a wide range of experts and stakeholders on specific policy proposals and in response to our public consultations.
The final impact assessment on mandating calorie labelling of food and drink in out-of-home sector is available at the following link:
The final impact assessments on the proposals to restrict the promotion of foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) by location and by volume is available at the following link:
The developmental impact assessment on further advertising restrictions on TV and online was published alongside the 2019 consultation on this policy. This is available at the following link:
An evidence note was published alongside the consultation on the proposal to introduce a total restriction of online advertising for HFSS products. This builds on the impact assessment that accompanied the 2019 consultation and is available at the following link:
A consultation proposing a total restriction of online advertising for products high in fat, salt and sugar closed on 22 December 2020 and is available at the following link:
We will publish the final impact assessment on further advertising restrictions on TV and online alongside the full response to the consultations shortly.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to tackle and reduce demand for illegal online gambling.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston
Data released by the Gambling Commission in May 2020 suggested that the scale of the black market had remained low and stable, with little variation in the number of complaints it had received about illegal gambling websites over the previous 12 months. The Commission’s enforcement approach includes working with web hosting companies and search engines to remove sites or prevent them appearing on searches, and working with payment providers to prevent payments to unlicensed operators. It also has powers to prosecute or refer issues to partner agencies such as HMRC where necessary.
The government’s Review of the Gambling Act 2005 has called for evidence on issues around unlicensed gambling, and we are aware of the recent report commissioned by the Betting and Gaming Council. We are also consulting on a proposed uplift to Gambling Commission licence fees, which will strengthen the resources it has to identify the scale of and tackle illegal gambling.
The Gambling Commission requires operators to monitor play and to intervene where players may be at risk of harm. Its consultation and call for evidence on Remote Customer Interaction is considering whether further requirements are needed for how operators identify and interact with customers who may be at risk.
The Commission will be led by the evidence it receives in deciding its next steps, and its findings may also inform its advice to government on the Gambling Act Review. Following a one month extension to allow extra evidence to be submitted, the deadline for submissions is now 9 February.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the size of the illegal gambling market in the UK.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston
Data released by the Gambling Commission in May 2020 suggested that the scale of the black market had remained low and stable, with little variation in the number of complaints it had received about illegal gambling websites over the previous 12 months. The Commission’s enforcement approach includes working with web hosting companies and search engines to remove sites or prevent them appearing on searches, and working with payment providers to prevent payments to unlicensed operators. It also has powers to prosecute or refer issues to partner agencies such as HMRC where necessary.
The government’s Review of the Gambling Act 2005 has called for evidence on issues around unlicensed gambling, and we are aware of the recent report commissioned by the Betting and Gaming Council. We are also consulting on a proposed uplift to Gambling Commission licence fees, which will strengthen the resources it has to identify the scale of and tackle illegal gambling.
The Gambling Commission requires operators to monitor play and to intervene where players may be at risk of harm. Its consultation and call for evidence on Remote Customer Interaction is considering whether further requirements are needed for how operators identify and interact with customers who may be at risk.
The Commission will be led by the evidence it receives in deciding its next steps, and its findings may also inform its advice to government on the Gambling Act Review. Following a one month extension to allow extra evidence to be submitted, the deadline for submissions is now 9 February.