Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to regulate unregulated legal gambling.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Gambling in Great Britain is regulated by the Gambling Commission, which operates a point of consumption licensing regime. Most legal gambling in Great Britain is regulated.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will withdrawn Bet365's UK operating licence for openly operating in China.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As the independent regulator, it is the Gambling Commission’s duty to ensure that operators comply with the requirements set out in the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice and to take appropriate regulatory action against those operators which fail to comply. Any decision to withdraw an operator’s licence lies with the Gambling Commission.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the oral contribution by the Minister for Sport, Media, Civil Society and Youth of 5 February 2025, Official Report, column 373WH, on account-based online play, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that online gambling operators are fully implementing protections for people experiencing harm.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Gambling Commission is in the process of introducing a number of regulatory reforms that build on current account level player protections, including financial vulnerability checks, improved tools for financial limit setting and improved choice in direct marketing.
Regulatory enforcement is the role of the Gambling Commission as set out in the Gambling Act 2005. Gambling operators are required to send the Commission a regulatory return for each type of activity for which they hold a licence. There are a variety of ways that the Commission can deal with non-compliance by licensees, ranging from enhanced compliance procedures and regulatory settlements to licence reviews and formal enforcement action.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she has taken with the Advertising Standards Authority to tackle online gambling advertisements (a) targeting children and (b) failing to disclose the presence of (i) loot boxes and (ii) other gambling-like features in mobile games.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Gambling operators must ensure that their advertising is not targeted at children and must not appear in media created for children or for which children make up 25% or more of the audience. Operators must also ensure that they take all reasonable steps to use data available to exclude individuals on the basis of their age or other relevant criteria. These rules are required as part of the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP). The ASA continues to closely monitor and enforce compliance but, if needed, can refer gambling operators’ advertising to the Gambling Commission which can and do take action. 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
DCMS officials regularly meet the Advertising Standards Authority to discuss a range of issues, including its view on whether ads for apps, video games and other online products that feature random-item purchasing mechanisms sufficiently disclose this fact in the content of the advertisement. Through ‘Guidance on Advertising In-game Purchases’ and ASA rulings, the ASA system sets and applies standards to mitigate the potential for ads to mislead consumers about the cost of in-game purchases, whether games contain them, and how they might affect gameplay. The ASA’s sister body, the Committee of Advertising Practice, is currently deliberating whether and, if so, on what basis, to take further action in this aspect of its regulation.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of a ban on gambling advertisements in video games PEGI rated 18 and under.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Gambling operators must ensure that their advertising is not targeted at children and must not appear in media created for children or for which children make up 25% or more of the audience. Operators must also ensure that they take all reasonable steps to use data available to exclude individuals on the basis of their age or other relevant criteria. These rules are required as part of the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP). The ASA continues to closely monitor and enforce compliance but, if needed, can refer gambling operators’ advertising to the Gambling Commission which can and do take action. 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
DCMS officials regularly meet the Advertising Standards Authority to discuss a range of issues, including its view on whether ads for apps, video games and other online products that feature random-item purchasing mechanisms sufficiently disclose this fact in the content of the advertisement. Through ‘Guidance on Advertising In-game Purchases’ and ASA rulings, the ASA system sets and applies standards to mitigate the potential for ads to mislead consumers about the cost of in-game purchases, whether games contain them, and how they might affect gameplay. The ASA’s sister body, the Committee of Advertising Practice, is currently deliberating whether and, if so, on what basis, to take further action in this aspect of its regulation.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with gambling (a) companies and (b) operators on (i) advertising to (A) children and (B) other vulnerable people and (ii) their compliance with advertising codes of conduct.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As the Gambling Minister set out in her speech at the GambleAware conference in December 2024, the industry has now been set a clear task to further raise standards to ensure that gambling advertising is appropriate, responsible, and does not exacerbate harm, and this work will be monitored closely.
There are a range of robust rules in place to ensure that gambling adverts, wherever they appear, are socially responsible and do not target children. The ASA continues to closely monitor and enforce compliance but, if needed, can refer gambling operators’ advertising to the Gambling Commission which can and does take action.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of revoking the gambling licenses of Greentube Alderney Limited.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As the independent regulator, it is the Gambling Commission’s duty to ensure that operators comply with the requirements set out in the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice and to take appropriate regulatory action against those operators which fail to comply. The Gambling Commission has published its decision on regulatory action against Greentube Alderney Limited, and any decision on revoking Greentube Alderney Limited’s licence lies with them.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an estimate of the number of high-street gambling operators in possession of non-remote bingo licenses that are operating as adult gambling centres.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As of 31 March 2024, there were 631 non-remote bingo premises in operation in Great Britain, according to the Gambling Commission’s November 2024 Industry Statistics.
As set out in the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice, in licensed bingo premises, gaming machines may only be made available for use where there are also substantive facilities for non-remote bingo available in the premises. Non-remote bingo licensees must also ensure that the function and presentation of their premises are such that a customer can reasonably be expected to recognise that it is a premises licensed for the purposes of providing bingo facilities. These are conditions of non-remote bingo licences. To operate an adult gaming centre, operators require a “gaming machine general operating licence” for an adult gaming centre and an adult gaming centre premises licence.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress she has made on the prevention framework under the statutory levy; and if she will take steps to ensure that prevention work is undertaken independently from (a) the gambling industry and (b) organisations associated with that industry.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As set out in the Government’s response to the consultation on the statutory levy, further consideration of the evidence is needed in order to appoint an appropriate body to lead the prevention strand of the levy system. We will confirm our decisions in due course. Prevention is a critical part of the government’s approach to tackling gambling-related harm and we need to take the time to get the policy right whilst ensuring that necessary legislation is passed to meet our commitment to having the levy in place by April 2025.
The Government is clear that the levy puts the independence of funding beyond doubt and industry will have no say over spending decisions. To guarantee sufficient accountability and transparency within the new system, including the use of funding allocated for prevention alongside research and treatment, we will establish appropriate governance arrangements consisting of a Levy Board for the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments to monitor the health and impact of the levy system, and an Advisory Group to provide informal advice to lead commissioning bodies regarding strategic and funding priorities. The UK government will also formally review the statutory levy system within five years with the first formal review expected by 2030.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of a ban on gambling (a) sponsorship and (b) advertising in football.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As the Minister for Gambling set out in her speech at the GambleAware conference on 4 December, we want to see the gambling industry further raise standards to ensure that levels of gambling advertising does not exacerbate harm. This work will be monitored closely.
There are a range of robust rules and restrictions which apply to gambling adverts, wherever they appear, to ensure they are socially responsible.
As part of the UK Advertising Codes, issued by the Committees for Advertising Practice (CAP) and Broadcast Committees of Advertising Practice (BCAP), sister organisations of the Advertising Standards Authority, content with ‘strong appeal’ to children such as top flight footballers or celebrities popular with children is prohibited from appearing in gambling adverts. As part of the Code of Conduct published by major sports governing bodies, including the Premier League and English Football League, gambling sponsorships must be designed to limit its reach and promotion to those under the age of 18, such as ensuring that no gambling sponsor logos or other promotional materials relating to gambling sponsorship appear on sections of their website which are designed to be viewed and used specifically by children. The Department will closely monitor the implementation of the Codes to ensure they have a meaningful impact. Premier League clubs have also agreed to remove front of shirt sponsorships by gambling firms by the end of the 2025/26 season.