Asked by: Lord Smith of Hindhead (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to make it a mandatory requirement for affiliates who provide gambling tips to hold a licence.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
All gambling advertisements, wherever they appear, must be socially responsible and are subject to strict controls on content and placement to protect children and vulnerable people from harm. As a licence condition, gambling operators must comply with the restrictions set out in the Advertising Codes, which are set by the Committee of Advertising Practice and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice, and administered by the Advertising Standards Authority. Operators are liable to enforcement action from the Gambling Commission if affiliates which they pay to carry out marketing activities do not comply with the rules.
The Government’s review of the Gambling Act 2005 is considering a wide range of issues relating to gambling advertising and marketing as part of its broad scope; the forthcoming White Paper will set out our conclusions and next steps.
Asked by: Lord Smith of Hindhead (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many new specialist gambling treatment clinics have opened since the announcement of these new centres in 2019.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Problem Gambling Clinic in London was already open prior to 2019. Since then, an additional seven new services have opened including an additional Children and Young People Provision in London, the Northern Gambling Service in Leeds, with satellite clinics in Manchester and Sunderland, the West Midlands Gambling Harm Clinics in Stoke-on-Trent and Telford and the Southern Gambling Service in Southampton. NHS England remain on track to open all 15 clinics by the end of 2023/24, ensuring representation across every region of England.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 13 January 2023 to Question 113179, when she plans to place a copy of the Trustopia agreement in the Library; and for what reason the placement of the agreement in the Library has been delayed.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department has now deposited a redacted copy of the agreement in the Library.
The Department has made significant progress in improving data protection processes and intends to publish an updated summary of recommendations and actions taken, in relation to these, in spring 2023.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Gambling Commission’s ability to assess the conduct of licensed operators and their subsidiaries overseas when making an assessment of compliance with online advertising rules contained in its Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice.
Answered by Paul Scully
All gambling companies providing gambling facilities to consumers in Great Britain, wherever they are based, must be licensed by the Gambling Commission and comply with the conditions and codes of practice of their operating licences. They are also held accountable by the Commission for the actions of their commercial partners, such as overseas operators marketed under a different brand for whom they provide services to customers based in Great Britain as part of a ‘white label’ agreement. Licensees are expected to carry out all necessary due diligence to ensure these agreements will not compromise their own regulatory compliance.
All licensed operators must ensure their marketing activities and those of their commercial partners are socially responsible, never targeted at children or vulnerable people, and compliant with the UK Advertising Codes set by the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) and enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The ASA can refer operators to the Gambling Commission which can and does take enforcement action for non-compliance with the Codes.
The government is closely considering issues around gambling advertising, marketing and sponsorship, and the powers and resources of the Gambling Commission, as part of its wide-ranging Review of the Gambling Act. We will publish a White Paper setting out our conclusions and next steps in the coming weeks.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Haltemprice and Howden)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to Answer of 15 November 2022 to Question 82174 on Gambling: Children, who authorised (a) the disclosure to Trustopia and (b) the contract terms of that disclosure; who was responsible for monitoring the management of that data; and whether disciplinary action has been taken following that incident.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The disclosure to Trust Systems Software UK Limited (trading name Trustopia) resulted from access given to a predecessor organisation that was a legitimate provider. The Department received a change of name request form and the amendment form which required Trustopia to sign a new learning provider agreement which set out terms of use for the Learning Records Service.
There is a dedicated team who manage the Learning Records Service. A signed copy of the agreement will be placed in the House of Commons Library in January 2023. The Department has worked closely with the ICO following this incident. Procedures for monitoring unusual activity have been strengthened, as have wider practices around Data Protection in the Department.
The Department’s legal advice at the time was not to pursue breach of contract pending the ICO investigation. The company has since ceased trading.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will have discussions with the BBC Board on seeking to ensure that BBC presenters do not appear in gambling advertisements on commercial channels.
Answered by Paul Scully
Broadcasters have discretion over how advertising breaks are set and what adverts are broadcast, as long as they comply with the advertising codes of practice issued by the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) and the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP), which are enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). These codes set rules such as preventing gambling adverts from airing around any programmes that particularly appeal to children. All gambling advertising, wherever it appears, is subject to strict controls on content and placement enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority and Ofcom.
The gambling industry’s own Code for Socially Responsible Advertising also includes restrictions on televised advertising, such as a ban on showing most forms of gambling advertising before 9 pm, and the ‘whistle-to-whistle’ ban preventing betting ads from airing during and immediately before and after live sporting events.
The Committee of Advertising Practice has recently made changes to the advertising codes in response to research on features of advertising that appeal to children and vulnerable people. These include banning content that over-emphasises skill or downplays risk involved in betting, as well as the use of content or persons who have ‘strong appeal’ to children, such as influencers or top-flight footballers. The Code in relation to broadcast advertising can be found here: https://www.asa.org.uk/type/broadcast/code_section/17.html
The government has not engaged with the BBC on the subject of its presenters appearing in gambling advertisements. The BBC is independent from the government and any additional rules or guidelines specifically for BBC staff would be a matter for the BBC to decide.
The government is currently reviewing the Gambling Act 2005 to ensure it is fit for the digital age. As part of its broad scope, the Gambling Act Review will look at the impacts of advertising and marketing by gambling operators, wherever it appears. We will publish a White Paper outlining our conclusions in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if the Government will take steps to reduce the number of gambling advertisements on television.
Answered by Paul Scully
Broadcasters have discretion over how advertising breaks are set and what adverts are broadcast, as long as they comply with the advertising codes of practice issued by the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) and the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP), which are enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). These codes set rules such as preventing gambling adverts from airing around any programmes that particularly appeal to children. All gambling advertising, wherever it appears, is subject to strict controls on content and placement enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority and Ofcom.
The gambling industry’s own Code for Socially Responsible Advertising also includes restrictions on televised advertising, such as a ban on showing most forms of gambling advertising before 9 pm, and the ‘whistle-to-whistle’ ban preventing betting ads from airing during and immediately before and after live sporting events.
The Committee of Advertising Practice has recently made changes to the advertising codes in response to research on features of advertising that appeal to children and vulnerable people. These include banning content that over-emphasises skill or downplays risk involved in betting, as well as the use of content or persons who have ‘strong appeal’ to children, such as influencers or top-flight footballers. The Code in relation to broadcast advertising can be found here: https://www.asa.org.uk/type/broadcast/code_section/17.html
The government has not engaged with the BBC on the subject of its presenters appearing in gambling advertisements. The BBC is independent from the government and any additional rules or guidelines specifically for BBC staff would be a matter for the BBC to decide.
The government is currently reviewing the Gambling Act 2005 to ensure it is fit for the digital age. As part of its broad scope, the Gambling Act Review will look at the impacts of advertising and marketing by gambling operators, wherever it appears. We will publish a White Paper outlining our conclusions in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on domestic rates of gambling-related harms.
Answered by Paul Scully
A variety of initiatives are in place across the gambling regulatory framework and health services to protect individuals and the public from harmful gambling and raise awareness of its risks.
The Gambling Commission requires all gambling operators to make information available to customers on how to gamble safely and how to access information on problem gambling and the support available. Most operators signpost to the charity GambleAware’s begambleaware.org site, which contains a wide range of information on risks as well as links to advice and support, including the 24 hour National Gambling Helpline. The NHS webpage 'Help for problem gambling' covers common indicators which suggest that individuals may be experiencing harmful gambling, and the NHS Live Well page on gambling has been updated, providing information on gambling-related harms and signposting to sources of support.
The Department for Health and Social Care is also taking steps to improve and expand specialist treatment services available for people with a gambling addiction. Under the NHS Long Term Plan, £15m has been committed to establish 15 clinics by 2023/24. Seven specialist clinics are already open and accepting patients. DHSC has committed to undertake an audit of gambling-related harm training materials for healthcare professionals to build capability in the healthcare workforce.
There have also been a number of recent voluntary and regulatory initiatives to reduce the visibility of gambling around major sporting events. The gambling industry’s ‘whistle-to-whistle’ ban, prevents gambling ads from airing during and immediately before or after live sports coverage before 9pm. Further to this, the Advertising Standards Authority recently implemented tough new rules banning content with ‘strong appeal to children’ from gambling ads, including top-flight and UK national team footballers. GambleAware have also launched a new phase of their ‘Bet Regret’ campaign for the tournament providing increased signposting to support for gambling harm around the 2022 World Cup.
Evidence on the impacts of gambling advertising, including sponsorship around sports, is being closely considered as part of the government's Review of the Gambling Act. A white paper will be published in the coming weeks outlining our conclusions and next steps.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what support is in place to protect those affected by gambling harm during the FIFA World Cup.
Answered by Paul Scully
A variety of initiatives are in place across the gambling regulatory framework and health services to protect individuals and the public from harmful gambling and raise awareness of its risks.
The Gambling Commission requires all gambling operators to make information available to customers on how to gamble safely and how to access information on problem gambling and the support available. Most operators signpost to the charity GambleAware’s begambleaware.org site, which contains a wide range of information on risks as well as links to advice and support, including the 24 hour National Gambling Helpline. The NHS webpage 'Help for problem gambling' covers common indicators which suggest that individuals may be experiencing harmful gambling, and the NHS Live Well page on gambling has been updated, providing information on gambling-related harms and signposting to sources of support.
The Department for Health and Social Care is also taking steps to improve and expand specialist treatment services available for people with a gambling addiction. Under the NHS Long Term Plan, £15m has been committed to establish 15 clinics by 2023/24. Seven specialist clinics are already open and accepting patients. DHSC has committed to undertake an audit of gambling-related harm training materials for healthcare professionals to build capability in the healthcare workforce.
There have also been a number of recent voluntary and regulatory initiatives to reduce the visibility of gambling around major sporting events. The gambling industry’s ‘whistle-to-whistle’ ban, prevents gambling ads from airing during and immediately before or after live sports coverage before 9pm. Further to this, the Advertising Standards Authority recently implemented tough new rules banning content with ‘strong appeal to children’ from gambling ads, including top-flight and UK national team footballers. GambleAware have also launched a new phase of their ‘Bet Regret’ campaign for the tournament providing increased signposting to support for gambling harm around the 2022 World Cup.
Evidence on the impacts of gambling advertising, including sponsorship around sports, is being closely considered as part of the government's Review of the Gambling Act. A white paper will be published in the coming weeks outlining our conclusions and next steps.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Markham on 16 November (HL3261) and 17 November (HL3260), what data they can provide on patient numbers at (1) NHS gambling clinics, and (2) the NHS national children and young person’s pilot gambling clinic.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
While the information requested is not held by clinic, the following table shows the number of referrals to the NHS London Gambling Service via the National Problem Gambling Clinic and Children and Young Person’s Clinic and the Northern Gambling Service in Leeds, Manchester and Sunderland in each year since 2020/21.
2020/21 | 775 |
2021/22 | 1,013 |
April to September 2022 | 599 |
Data from the Children and Young Person’s Clinic includes referrals for gaming.