Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of resolutions to gambling-related disputes via Alternative Dispute Resolution providers result in the complainant receiving a settlement for the full amount lost.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Gambling Commission must approve all Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) providers and has set specific additional standards for ADR in its standards and guidance. The Commission expects ADR providers to submit quarterly activity returns to the Gambling Commission, which contain the number of domestic disputes received, and the number and percentage of disputes upheld in favour of the gambling business and the number and percentage of disputes settled by the gambling business without an outcome being imposed. However, the Gambling Commission does not hold data on settlement amounts.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the outcomes of disputes resolved via Alternative Dispute Resolution bodies in relation to gambling operators are reported to the Gambling Commission.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Gambling Commission must approve all Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) providers and has set specific additional standards for ADR in its standards and guidance. The Commission expects ADR providers to submit quarterly activity returns to the Gambling Commission, which contain the number of domestic disputes received, and the number and percentage of disputes upheld in favour of the gambling business and the number and percentage of disputes settled by the gambling business without an outcome being imposed. However, the Gambling Commission does not hold data on settlement amounts.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason betting companies operating primarily (a) over the phone and (b) by direct debit are included in the proposed single Remote Betting and Gaming Duty.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is consulting on proposals to simplify the current gambling tax system by merging the three current taxes that cover remote gambling into one.
The definition of ‘remote gambling’ in the Gambling Act 2005 means gambling in which persons participate by the use of remote communication.
“In this Act “remote communication” means communication using —
a) the internet,
b) telephone,
c) television,
d) radio, or
e) any other kind of electronic or other technology for facilitating communication”
The consultation asks respondents to share views on whether this definition is appropriate for the proposed Remote Betting and Gaming duty (RBGD). As such, I would encourage interested parties to respond to it.
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 recent assessment they have made of the number of gambling venues operating with bingo licences but effectively operating as adult gaming centres.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We recognise that, as noted in the Gambling Commission’s 2023 advice to the Gambling Act Review, there are gambling premises which are licensed solely as bingo venues, where gaming machines take up most of the floor space and which can give the appearance to consumers of being adult gaming centres.
As set out in the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice, in licensed bingo premises, gaming machines may only be made available for use where there are also substantive facilities for non-remote bingo available in the premises. Non-remote bingo licensees must also ensure that the function and presentation of their premises are such that a customer can reasonably be expected to recognise that it is a premises licensed for the purposes of providing bingo facilities. These are conditions of non-remote bingo licences. We are reviewing the current licensing regime for bingo venues, and we intend to consult on changes in due course.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to fund improved provision for addiction support services in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ensuring that anyone with a drug or alcohol problem can access the help and support they need, and we recognise the need for evidence-based, high-quality treatment.
Local authorities are responsible for assessing the local need for alcohol and drug prevention and treatment in their area, and for commissioning services to meet those needs. In addition to the Public Health Grant, in 2025/26, the Department is providing Lancashire with £10,424,106 to help improve drug and alcohol treatment and recovery systems, as set out at the following link:
All funding is provided at the Lancashire level, and it is for Lancashire County Council to determine how to meet needs in Fylde.
This year, the Government is providing an additional £70 million for local authority-led Stop Smoking Services in England, building on existing funding made available via the Public Health Grant. Additional funding for Stop Smoking Services is based on the number of smokers in each local authority, and Lancashire has been allocated an extra £1,678,549 for 2025/26.
In April 2025, a new statutory levy on gambling operators, expected to raise approximately £100 million per year, was introduced to fund the research, prevention, and treatment of gambling-related harms. The levy will be distributed across the three workstreams, with 50% allocated to NHS England, alongside appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales, to commission the development of effective treatment and support services at national and sub-national levels.
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 assessment she has made of the potential impact of an increase in gambling levies on pools operators.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As set out in the government’s consultation response, the statutory gambling levy will be charged at a set rate for all holders of a Gambling Commission licence, ranging from 1.1% to 0.1% of Gross Gambling Yield (GGY). Remote and non-remote pool betting operators will be charged the levy at the lowest rate of 0.1%. We will conduct a formal review of the statutory levy system within five years where the structure and effectiveness of the system, including levy rates, will be assessed and any necessary adjustments made to ensure we are achieving our objectives and impacts are proportionate.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) affordability checks and (b) the harmonisation of gambling duties on levels of black market gambling.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the important contribution horseracing and the wider sports sector makes to the national economy and cultural life. We remain committed to engagement with stakeholders across the sector with a view to bolstering and protecting this contribution.
Future proposals on Gambling Duties are a matter for HMT, and we would encourage all interested parties to engage with ongoing consultations on the matter, which runs until the 21st of July. Ministerial engagement has taken place between DCMS and HMT, and should legislative changes come about following this consultation, we expect them to be accompanied by tax and impact notes from HMT, as is standard practice.
A new system for financial risk assessments is currently being piloted by the Gambling Commission. Stage 1 of the pilot showed that 95% of checks were frictionless and this increased to 97% of checks in stage 2.
We are working closely with the Gambling Commission to ensure that illegal gambling, in all its forms, is addressed. The Crime and Policing Bill, introduced in Parliament on 25 February 2025, will grant the Gambling Commission with new powers to more quickly and effectively take down illegal gambling websites.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
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 the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential impact of harmonising gambling duties on (a) horseracing and (b) other sports.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the important contribution horseracing and the wider sports sector makes to the national economy and cultural life. We remain committed to engagement with stakeholders across the sector with a view to bolstering and protecting this contribution.
Future proposals on Gambling Duties are a matter for HMT, and we would encourage all interested parties to engage with ongoing consultations on the matter, which runs until the 21st of July. Ministerial engagement has taken place between DCMS and HMT, and should legislative changes come about following this consultation, we expect them to be accompanied by tax and impact notes from HMT, as is standard practice.
A new system for financial risk assessments is currently being piloted by the Gambling Commission. Stage 1 of the pilot showed that 95% of checks were frictionless and this increased to 97% of checks in stage 2.
We are working closely with the Gambling Commission to ensure that illegal gambling, in all its forms, is addressed. The Crime and Policing Bill, introduced in Parliament on 25 February 2025, will grant the Gambling Commission with new powers to more quickly and effectively take down illegal gambling websites.
Asked by: Nesil Caliskan (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to increase maximum licensing fees for Track Betting Premises to local authorities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The fees that licensing authorities collect for premises licence applications and annual renewals are used to cover administration and enforcement costs. In England and Wales, local authorities can set their own licensing fees for gambling premises, including track betting premises, up to a statutory maximum. In Scotland, licensing fees are set at a flat rate by Scottish Ministers.
The 2023 gambling white paper proposed increasing the cap on licensing authority premises fees in England and Wales. We are considering the best available evidence from a wide range of sources to make decisions on key measures from the gambling white paper.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) her Department's proposals on gambling harmonisation and (b) affordability checks on levels of black market gambling.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is consulting on proposals to simplify the current gambling tax system by merging the three current taxes that cover remote (including online) gambling into one – reducing complexity and improving compliance.
A new system for financial risk assessments is currently being piloted by the Gambling Commission. Stage 1 of the pilot showed that 95% of checks were frictionless and this increased to 97% of checks in stage 2.
DCMS works closely with the Gambling Commission to ensure that illegal gambling, in all its forms, is addressed. The Crime and Policing Bill, introduced in Parliament on 25 February 2025, will grant the Gambling Commission with powers to move quickly and effectively to take down illegal gambling websites.