At the end of April Lucy Frazer, Secretary of State for DCMS unveiled the Gambling Act Review White Paper in the House of Commons, writes David Little, a Partner in our Commercial department.
The first consultations stemming from the publication of the gambling white paper will be launched this summer, the industry’s regulator has said. However, while the government has outlined its proposals in areas such as financial risk checks for punters, the Gambling Commission has warned the current regulations will remain in place until changes have been made as a result of consultation or legislation.
There are a number of White Paper objectives, which are intended to be delivered through the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP), by the Gambling Commission. Where the Commission makes changes to the LCCP – the ‘rule book’ for gambling operators – they are legally obliged to consult on any changes and take any and all consultation responses into consideration before making changes.
History shows many examples of well-meaning policy changes having unintended consequences for the public due to the way they were implemented in the real world.
The Government has published a white paper setting out how it wants gambling regulation to change. This, however, is not a change to legislation at this point and the current rules and regulations remain the same until changes have been made as a result of consultation or as a result of a statutory change, such as legislation, for example.
Writing on the Gambling Commission’s blog, Tim Miller, the Commission’s Executive Director for Research and Policy comments: “Whilst the implementation of the White Paper – which has over 60 areas of work for the Gambling Commission alone – will likely take a number of years to fully complete, that doesn’t mean it can’t make rapid progress in a number of key areas.
“Of course, this focus on implementing the recommendations in the White Paper as quickly as possible will not distract us from continuing to robustly pursue compliance with our existing requirements. Where gambling operators fail to meet our standards we will continue to take action to protect consumers and raise standards, whilst at the same time playing our part in meeting the Government’s ambition of delivering gambling reform for the digital age.”
Read the Gambling Commission’s advice.
Here is the Government’s White Paper (opens in new tab).
Contact our Corporate & Commercial Lawyer
David Little, is a Partner in the Corporate & Commercial team and also Head of Sports Law for the firm. If you would like to contact him please quote Ref CB398 on either 07968 027343 or 020 7631 4141 or email company@bishopandsewell.co.uk.
The above is accurate as at 11 May 2023. The information above may be subject to change during these ever-changing times.
The content of this note should not be considered legal advice and each matter should be considered on a case-by-case basis.
