Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about the potential impact of budget changes to betting and gaming levies on the viability of British sports.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government recognises the significant contribution that racing and other sports make to the nation’s economy and sporting landscape. DCMS and HMT Ministers have regular engagement on betting and gaming levies.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Government to crack down on gambling operator sport sponsorship, published on 23 February 2026, what information her Department holds on the number of people in 2025 who utilised unlicensed gambling operators which sponsored sports clubs.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
We do not hold this information, as it is difficult to calculate the exact number of people who use unlicensed operators. British consumers using these sites do so using a virtual private network which affects web traffic data.
However, the Government remains committed to tackling the illegal market and the threats it poses to British consumers. Last year, the Gambling Commission published a series of research reports on the illegal market and is working to further improve its evidence base. We also invite further information on the use of unlicensed operators through the consultation process.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how the monies raised through the statutory gambling levy is being allocated; and if they will publish a breakdown of spending by (a) prevention, (b) treatment, (c) innovation and (d) research into gambling-related harms.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This year the statutory levy has raised just under £120 million, which will be ringfenced solely for the use of tackling gambling-related harm. Details on how this has been allocated are available in this Written Ministerial Statement.
DCMS will publish an Annual Report setting out each year how levy funds have been spent. We expect the first Annual Report to be published this summer.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she had discussions with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the potential impact of raising betting duty on Greyhound Racing alongside general sports duty in 2027; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of bringing betting duty in line with the rate of duty on horse racing.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Budget 2025, the government announced a package of changes to gambling duties which will raise over £1 billion per year to support the public finances and forms part of our ambition to create a fair, modern and sustainable tax system.
As part of this package, remote betting will see an increase from 15% to 25% from 1 April 2027. The government is protecting horseracing from these changes as horserace bets are already subject to a mandatory 10% levy. Recognising this unique position, there will therefore be no change to the duty for bets on UK horseracing, whether in person or online. While operators can pay a voluntary levy of 0.6 per cent on greyhound bets, they are not subject to the same 10 per cent mandatory levy that bets on horseracing are.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with devolved Governments to ensure prevention, support and treatment for gambling harms is available across the UK.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government introduced a statutory gambling levy, a mandatory charge on licensed gambling operators, in April 2025. Funds collected from the levy will be used exclusively for the research, prevention and treatment of gambling harm across Great Britain. The levy has raised just under £120 million in its first year.
20% of these funds will be allocated to research, 30% to prevention and 50% to treatment. Scotland and Wales will receive their appropriate share, to ensure prevention, treatment and support are available across Great Britain.
Officials are in frequent contact with officials in the Scottish and Welsh Governments, ensuring a stable transition to the statutory system. Additionally, both Welsh and Scottish officials sit on the Levy Delivery Group and the Levy Programme Board, each meeting quarterly. Terms of reference and membership of these groups can be found here.
While the UK Government and Scottish and Welsh Governments are coordinating closely on levy implementation, health policy is a devolved matter.
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 her Department is taking in the context of the University of Sheffield’s findings that gambling advertisements during the 2022 FIFA World Cup significantly influenced betting behaviour; and what measures she plans to put in place to ensure adequate protections before the 2026 tournament.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
We consider a wide range of evidence when making policy and regulatory decisions. This includes consideration of Sheffield University’s recent report on World Cup advertising and its impact on gambling behaviour.
All operators advertising in the UK must comply with robust advertising codes. These codes are regularly reviewed and updated. In this context, those include a ban on gambling advertisements during pre-watershed live sports broadcasts lasting from 5 minutes before to 5 minutes after the event itself.
The Government recognises that exposure to gambling advertising is an important issue. We continue to consider a wide range of evidence in this space and will work closely with relevant stakeholders to further strengthen protections. This includes our recent announcement of an intention to consult on banning sports sponsorship by unlicensed gambling operators.
Asked by: Beccy Cooper (Labour - Worthing West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking ensure education on gambling harm is provided by organisations independent of the gambling industry; and whether targeted interventions are planned to educate children on gambling harms.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The updated Relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education (RSHE) guidance is clear that children and young people should be taught about the risks associated with gambling, including the accumulation of debt. This guidance can be read in full here:
Content is taught at both primary and secondary education and in reviewing the guidance, the department worked with ‘Gambling With Lives’ as part of the stakeholder engagement process.
Schools have flexibility over how they teach issues and the materials they use, however the guidance is clear that schools should check that external resources are accurate and unbiased.
As part of the statutory gambling levy prevention programme, the Gambling Harms Prevention Grant Fund was launched this month. This may include education programmes and interventions for children and young people, and competing organisations will be required to sign up to demonstrate their commitment to moving towards a new public health approach, independent of industry funding.
Asked by: Peter Prinsley (Labour - Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether consumer credit affordability and creditworthiness checks adequately prevent people with high levels of debt and known gambling-related financial risks from obtaining additional credit cards; and what steps she is taking with the Financial Conduct Authority to strengthen safeguards.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Lenders offering credit are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This oversight ensures that lending practices are fair and that consumers are protected – firms regulated by the FCA must comply with its strict lending affordability rules, lending only to those who can afford repayments based on a thorough assessment of their financial situation. Under the FCA’s Consumer Duty, firms are required to take steps to identify and respond to signs of vulnerability, support customers to disclose their needs, and make them aware of available assistance.
The Government is committed to supporting people who are experiencing problem debt. Through the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), the Government funds a range of national and community-based debt advice services in England, so households can access the specialist support they need to get their finances back on track.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the economic risks, (2) social impacts, and (3) costs, of prediction markets; and what consideration have they given to further regulation or restriction of such systems.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
In order to operate in Great Britain, any prediction market would require a licence from the Gambling Commission, the independent regulator for gambling. If approved, they would be classified as a ‘Betting Intermediary’ and subject to regulation under the Gambling Act 2005. We will monitor the potential impacts of prediction markets and consider further action if needed.
Asked by: Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent underage access to gambling via loot boxes, skin betting and other third party markets linked to video games.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to ensuring games are enjoyed safely and responsibly by everyone, including children.
Prizes that can be won via loot boxes do not have a monetary value, cannot be cashed-out, and are of value only within the context of the game. They are therefore not legally classified as gambling. However, where products do amount to unlicensed gambling, such as unlicensed skin betting, the Gambling Commission has shown that it will take swift enforcement action. There are currently no licensed gambling operators which offer skin betting.
In July 2023 the video game industry published new loot box principles to improve protections for players. Following a 12-month implementation period, the government commissioned independent academic research to assess the effectiveness of this guidance. We have engaged relevant government departments and regulators to consider the research. We will publish the report and set out our next steps in the near future..