Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP will chair new APPG probe on Gambling Reforms

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Gambling Reform has re-formed to initiate a new inquiry into the “Future of Gambling Regulation in the UK”.

The inquiry was established by the new APPG Chair, Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP, “to examine how the gambling industry should be reformed to prevent public harm.”

The Tory grandee has long advocated for a root and branch review of the Gambling Act and remains unsatisfied with the proposals set out in the Government's White Paper on gambling reforms with APPG members.

Two years after the White Paper was published, Duncan Smith is a vocal critic of gambling advertising, the visibility of gambling to the UK public, the adequacy of internet protections and wider industry conduct.

He has been as vocal in his criticism of the UK gaming Commission (UKGC), lambasting its soft approach to gaming licensing, particularly when businesses have been punished repeatedly for regulatory breaches.

Duncan Smith told BBC Radio recently that the paucity of policing at Adult Gaming Centers on the high street was: “Well, that’s reality on the ground … So nobody checks on it so they don't really care so what you have thus is that abuse taking place and nothing is enforced.”

Duncan Smith was also the most high-profile MP to urge on the Conservative administration to rethink its decision to allow Premier League clubs to negotiate their own terms in sponsorship deals with gambling companies.

He criticized then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for a “soft decision”, and urged for tougher, legally enforceable restrictions on gambling advertising and sponsorships in sports, and the abolition of all voluntary rules in favor of mandatory regulation.

As chair of the APPG, Duncan Smith has committed to keep lobbying for a review of gaming Act amendments and for the implementation of measures to stop the excesses of the gaming industry.

Duncan Smith said: “The previous Government’s White Paper was a step in the right direction in beginning to address some of the issues presented by today’s gambling industry. 

But there is clearly much more to do to ensure our regulatory architecture is suited for the digital era to safeguard people from harm. This inquiry will be important in informing our recommendations to Government and I would encourage organizations and individuals to submit material to help guide our work.”

As a cross-party project, APPG says it has played a key role in forcing major improvements to UK gaming policy. The measures include a prohibition on the extremely addictive Fixed Odds Betting Terminals, a mandatory charge to fund the NHS, limits on stakes for online casino games (£2 for 18-25s and £5 for over 25s) and a ban on direct marketing to vulnerable users.

"This is a major milestone in the campaign to reform the British gambling industry," said Will Prochaska, director of The Coalition to End Gambling Ads, welcoming the announcement. 

“The APPG will be a powerful mix of a Tory grandee – Sir Iain Duncan Smith – and fresh, passionate backbench Labor voices such as Beccy Cooper and Alex Ballinger. “I think the current crop of politicians that are pushing for change are ready to do it.

The Labor government has said it is committed to implementing the measures and suggestions put out in the Gambling Review, in a bid to bring to a close a five-year regulatory process many believe has been botched by consecutive Conservative administrations.

However, it recognizes rising discontent with aspects of the White Paper relating to advertising, public health safeguards and emerging ‘local-level’ requests from UK councils concerns which may justify further targeted scrutiny.