Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the work by the Gambling Industry to reduce gambling harm amongst consumers.

We are committed to working with industry to strengthen protections and reduce the risk of gambling-related harm. Since the election we have worked with a wide range of stakeholders, including the Gambling Commission, to raise standards. We consistently monitor the effectiveness of both recent reforms and voluntary actions.

These changes have included, but are not limited to: the introduction of the statutory gambling levy; increased customer choice regarding marketing; the banning of harmful and confusing incentives; strengthened rules around advertising on social media; and the upcoming, careful implementation of financial risk checks. The gambling industry also enforces the Industry Group for Socially Responsible Gambling’s Code for Socially Responsible Advertising (IGRG Code) which includes a number of rules designed to ensure advertising is socially responsible. In land-based venues, an agreement has been reached to strengthen the self-exclusion process, and operators have announced facial recognition trials to support the identification of self-excluded individuals. Together, these measures boost fairness, increase openness, and strengthen protections to prevent excessive or harmful gambling and improve outcomes for the public.

As the statutory regulator for gambling in Great Britain, the Gambling Commission has a responsibility to ensure that gambling businesses are compliant in making gambling safer and fairer.