Asked by: Lord Lucas (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to require services that assemble syndicates to subscribe for multiple lottery entries to publish prominently the proportion of the syndicate subscription which is spent on buying lottery tickets.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Gambling Commission is responsible for regulating the National Lottery under the National Lottery etc Act 1993, and non-commercial lotteries (such as society lotteries and Local Authority lotteries) under the Gambling Act 2005.
It is not within the Commission’s remit to regulate or licence syndicates as long as they operate in a specific way that avoids them being classed as “promoting a lottery” under the Gambling Act 2005. Consequently, the Commission does not mandate any requirements with regards to their operation.
The Government has no plans to make changes to the operation of syndicate lotteries.
Asked by: Joe Powell (Labour - Kensington and Bayswater)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when Cumulative Impact Assessments for gambling licensing will be introduced.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government has now tabled an amendment to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill with the intention of introducing Gambling Impact Assessment (GIAs), formerly referred to as Cumulative Impact Assessments. The implementation date will be confirmed in due course.
Asked by: Damien Egan (Labour - Bristol North East)
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 with Ofcom and the Advertising Standards Authority to help reduce children’s exposure to gambling advertising across broadcast, online and social media platforms.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government recognises that children’s exposure to gambling advertising is a serious issue. We continue to work with a wide range of stakeholders, including Ofcom and the Advertising Standards Authority, to further strengthen protections.
We have also redoubled efforts to work cross-government and with tech platforms to address illegal gambling advertising, which poses the most immediate risk for children and young people.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether (a) her Department and (b) the Civil Service Commission has received a Business Appointments application from the (1) departing chief executive of the Gambling Commission and (2) interim chief executive.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Employees of the Gambling Commission are not Crown servants and therefore not subject to the Business Appointments Applications process.
As required by the model contract for Public Bodies, the Gambling Commission has robust policies in place to manage business appointments and conflicts of interest, including clear obligations under their Employee Code of Conduct to ensure that the risk of conflicts of interest are considered at the earliest opportunity. The Commission is satisfied that appropriate mitigations are in place to manage and reduce the risk of any actual or perceived conflicts of interest.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of the findings of the independent report on loot boxes commissioned by the Government in 2023; and whether she plans to publish that report.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to ensuring games are enjoyed safely and responsibly by everyone and that, where they contain loot boxes, there are appropriate protections in place for players of all ages.
To improve those protections, industry-led guidance was published in 2023 with a 12-month implementation period after which DCMS commissioned independent academic research into its effectiveness. We will publish the research shortly, alongside our next steps.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her planned timetable is for the publication of the Government-commissioned research on loot boxes undertaken by third-party investigators.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to ensuring games are enjoyed safely and responsibly by everyone and that, where they contain loot boxes, there are appropriate protections in place for players of all ages.
To improve those protections, industry-led guidance was published in 2023 with a 12-month implementation period after which DCMS commissioned independent academic research into its effectiveness. We will publish the research shortly, alongside our next steps.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department plans to take to give powers to councils to reject applications for new betting shops, vapes stores and fake barbers.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is taking action to give local authorities and communities the power greater control over the mix of uses on their high streets. Later this year Government will bring forward a new High Streets Strategy, backed by at least £150 million of support, to tackle the challenges care about most.
When parliamentary time allows, we will introduce Cumulative Impact Assessments in gambling licensing, enabling councils to better manage the concentration of gambling premises in vulnerable areas. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will also provide powers to introduce a licensing scheme for the retail sale of tobacco, vaping and nicotine products. Alongside this, the 2025 Budget committed £15 million per year to tackle illegal activity on the high street.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it a requirement of the National Lottery licence that there be (a) transparent and (b) open communication of the odds of winning the National Lottery when purchasing a ticket.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The National Lottery is regulated by the Gambling Commission, which is responsible for awarding the operating licence, managing licence conditions, enforcing compliance, and licensing individual games.
The National Lottery licence requires that full, accurate and up‑to‑date information about National Lottery games is easily accessible to all participants in a range of formats. The Regulatory Handbook, which provides further detail on complying with licence requirements, adds that this should include clear information on prize levels and the likelihood of winning, and that the operator’s approach should reflect industry Best Practice.
In practice, this is delivered through printed Player’s Guides in retail locations, and Online Game Procedures on the National Lottery website. These resources set out how each game works, the prizes available and the odds of winning.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government which charities they have met with to discuss the commissioning process for new independent provision of gambling harms research, prevention and treatment; and what impact, if any, those discussions have had on the commissioning process.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
All Ministerial meetings are declared in the respective quarterly transparency return.
The lead commissioning bodies for research, prevention and treatment who hold responsibility for commissioning decisions have engaged with a wide range of stakeholders as part of their programme development. Both the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and NHS England have communicated regularly with a wide variety of charities in the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector to set out timings and requirements for their grant processes.
DCMS remains confident that the levy commissioning processes are being administered appropriately and that all funding decisions will be made on the basis of assessed need, value for money and the ability of applicants to deliver effective, evidence-based interventions.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the timetable for the consultation on advertising by unlicensed gambling operators is; and when they plan for any legislative or regulatory changes as a result of that consultation to take effect.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The consultation on banning unlicensed gambling operators from sponsoring sports will launch in spring 2026. We will determine the best timing for any ban to come into effect through consultation.