UK Gambling Reforms Not Certain Before Next General Election

The UK government’s white paper on gambling is set to be kicked into the long grass, but at best will not see any publication of it to well into 2023, that is according to insiders within the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

It was due more than a year ago but has seen multiple delays with the latest expectation being early July, however with the departure of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Conservative ruling party now awaiting to vote on a new leader the publication of gambling reforms will be held over till at least early September when a new Prime Minister is voted in.

However it is known within the department that an incoming new leader will shuffle the ministers pack so a new minister for the department responsible for gambling will then come in and will want to review the White Paper.

This along with knowing that both candidates for the leadership are opposed to more regulation and prefer to let business grow without imposing more restrictions.

Given this there is no way that any gambling reforms will happen this year and could be held over even to the next general election in 2025, gambling reform groups including conservative Iain Duncan Smith and Labour MP Carolyn Harris, who chairs a cross-party group of MPs examining gambling harm will be furious with the continued delays which they say are well overdue.

Not just this but actual online and other gambling operators do not like uncertainty, it is not good for business and for planning long term, however with the certain delay in any publication going into next year at best, the status quo will remain.