Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the Gambling Commission's proposed affordability checks for bets of more than £1,000 on the horse racing industry.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the significant contribution that racing makes to British sporting culture and its importance to the British economy. Horseracing is the only sport in receipt of a direct government-mandated levy which helps to drive improvements in the sport.
On 7 July the Gambling Commission announced that its Board has decided to implement Financial Risk Assessments (FRAs) in a careful, phased way. The Government has been supportive of the policy intent behind these assessments, and welcomes their decision to do this in a careful phased way.
The vast majority of consumers will not face any change to their customer experience. A consumer who undergoes an FRA as a result of a net deposit of £1000 or more in a 24 hour period will not automatically be subject to operator action, such as account restrictions. It will instead be for the operator to determine whether or not action is needed, based on both FRA data and the data they already have on the consumer. It is therefore right that the Commission is taking a phased approach to implementation, to ensure that operators are given as clear guidance as possible on options for responding to an FRA.
We recognise the horseracing sector has concerns about FRAs. Both the Minister for Gambling and the Gambling Commission have met the British Horseracing Authority and wider racing stakeholders to discuss these concerns. We would now encourage the sector to engage constructively with the Commission during the upcoming implementation phase.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with representatives of the adult gaming centre sector on enabling cashless payment systems; and whether she plans to bring forward related regulatory changes.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The government has been clear that it will not look to make additional deregulatory changes to the adult gaming sector until further improvements are made on customer protections. Government officials meet regularly with the Gambling Commission and representatives from the sector and will continue to support operators with making progress in this area.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Gambling Commission on a timetable for a new permanent appointment for its chief executive.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The timetable for appointing a permanent Chief Executive to the Gambling Commission is a matter for the Gambling Commission’s Board. Any appointment will be subject to the Secretary of State agreeing terms and conditions.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the answer of 17 April 2026 to Question 123653 on Gambling Commission: Staff, whether Gambling Commission staff are (a) civil and (b) crown servants.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Gambling Commission staff are neither civil nor crown servants. They are public servants who act on behalf of the Crown to regulate the commercial gambling industry.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has had discussions with the adult gaming centre sector on raising the stakes and prizes cap; and what assessment she has made of the potential economic impact of such a change.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The government has been clear that it will not look to make additional deregulatory changes to the adult gaming sector until further improvements are made on customer protections. Government officials meet regularly with the Gambling Commission and representatives from the sector and will continue to support operators with making progress in this area.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to review the maximum stakes and prizes limits for Category B3 and C gaming machines in adult gaming centres.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The government has been clear that it will not look to make additional deregulatory changes to the adult gaming sector until further improvements are made on customer protections. Government officials meet regularly with the Gambling Commission and representatives from the sector and will continue to support operators with making progress in this area.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has considered raising the stakes and prizes cap for adult gaming centres.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The government has been clear that it will not look to make additional deregulatory changes to the adult gaming sector until further improvements are made on customer protections. Government officials meet regularly with the Gambling Commission and representatives from the sector and will continue to support operators with making progress in this area.
Asked by: Alex Ballinger (Labour - Halesowen)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Investigate Europe's report entitled Payment firms handled millions for companies linked to unlicensed gambling network, published on 9 July 2026, whether the payments association is part of the illegal gambling task force.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
We are committed to taking action on the illegal gambling market. Since its launch in January this year, the Illegal Gambling Taskforce has worked with payment providers and other relevant stakeholders to consider the best way to tackle the issue of payments relating to illegal gambling.
We plan to report on the progress made by the Illegal Gambling Taskforce once it has completed its first year, and will consider whether to set out membership of the Taskforce at that point.
Asked by: Alex Ballinger (Labour - Halesowen)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what information her Department holds on the Reform Party holding discussions with the Gambling Commission on Crypto Gambling.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Gambling Commission, as the independent regulator for gambling, has responsibility for making decisions around licensing. The Gambling Commission has not been approached or held any discussion with the Reform Party on crypto gambling.
Asked by: Alex Ballinger (Labour - Halesowen)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Gambling Commission is taking to prevent UK licensed gambling software companies providing games to illegal gambling sites.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Gambling Commission, as the independent regulator for gambling, has responsibility for making decisions around licensing.
As part of its regulatory approach, the Gambling Commission assesses applicants against the statutory licensing objectives and may take compliance and enforcement action where it identifies evidence of breaches of licence conditions or other regulatory requirements. This includes where operators or gambling software licensees are found to be supplying the illegal gambling market.