Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Gambling Commission’s ability to assess the conduct of licensed operators and their subsidiaries overseas when making an assessment of compliance with online advertising rules contained in its Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice.

All gambling companies providing gambling facilities to consumers in Great Britain, wherever they are based, must be licensed by the Gambling Commission and comply with the conditions and codes of practice of their operating licences. They are also held accountable by the Commission for the actions of their commercial partners, such as overseas operators marketed under a different brand for whom they provide services to customers based in Great Britain as part of a ‘white label’ agreement. Licensees are expected to carry out all necessary due diligence to ensure these agreements will not compromise their own regulatory compliance.

All licensed operators must ensure their marketing activities and those of their commercial partners are socially responsible, never targeted at children or vulnerable people, and compliant with the UK Advertising Codes set by the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) and enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The ASA can refer operators to the Gambling Commission which can and does take enforcement action for non-compliance with the Codes.

The government is closely considering issues around gambling advertising, marketing and sponsorship, and the powers and resources of the Gambling Commission, as part of its wide-ranging Review of the Gambling Act. We will publish a White Paper setting out our conclusions and next steps in the coming weeks.