Sport: Cricket

Lord Faulkner of Worcester Excerpts

Tuesday 19th October 2010 Lords Chamber

[Lord Addington]

My Lords—

[Lord Faulkner of Worcester]

My Lords—

[Lord Strathclyde]

My Lords, if the noble Lord will bear with me, I think that it is the turn of this side.

[Lord Shutt of Greetland]

My Lords, it is incredible how huge an industry sports gambling is. In this country, we have the Gambling Commission, but it has only been going for three years. There is a limit to what we can do in other places, although it is right that in both the gambling and sports authorities there is international co-operation. Clearly, word can be passed. There are many countries where gambling is not legalised—indeed, it is illegal—and yet takes place on a broad basis. It is very difficult to deal in such matters.

[Lord Faulkner of Worcester]

My Lords, I declare an interest as chairman of the all-party inquiry into the effects of betting on sport, which reported in 2005, and to which the noble Lord, Lord Condon, was such a powerful and convincing witness. Is the Minister satisfied with the progress which the Gambling Commission’s new unit on sports betting intelligence is making, and is it receiving sufficient co-operation from the betting industry and from sports governing bodies?

[Lord Shutt of Greetland]

My Lords, all I can say is that the Government are very much behind that new work continuing. I am not in a position to say, because I do not know, whether the unit is getting all the co-operation that it should, but I have no evidence that it is not.