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According to government estimates the impact of the new measures contained in the White Paper will have a maximum effect of up to 14% on an online companies Gross Gaming Yield, the following statement from the government can be seen below:
It is likely that the proposals will come with costs to the gambling industry, both in terms of upfront delivery cost but also in reduced revenue compared to current levels. We currently estimate that the key proposals we can quantify will lead to between a 3% and 8% reduction in Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) across the gambling sector, with the main decrease being in online gambling (where we estimate a reduction of between 8% and 14% of GGY). Our expectation is that much of this will be foregone revenue from customers who were being harmed by their gambling, but this will be considered further through impact assessments alongside future consultations on policy.
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Entain have responded to the release of the White Paper, see below:
Entain welcomes the publication of the review of the UK Gambling Act 2005 by the UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sports (“DCMS”).
The review contains an extensive set of proposals, many of which align with actions that Entain has already implemented. However, it requires comprehensive assessment and analysis, and a more detailed response will be provided as soon as is practical.
Jette Nygaard-Andersen, Entain’s CEO, commented:
“The UK Gambling Act Review is an important step towards having a robust regulatory framework that is fit for the digital age and creates a level playing field for all operators. We welcome the clarity that it will bring to the industry and customers. In leading the industry on player protection, we have already implemented a comprehensive range of actions to protect our customers, such as our industry-leading Advanced Responsibility and Care safer gaming programme, personalised online slots staking limits, and the implementation of an affordability model across the UK. We are also extremely proud to have led the industry in 2019 by voluntarily agreeing to increase our levy donations to 1% of our UK gross gaming revenues.
As a global and diversified business that operates in over 40 territories around the world, all of which are regulated or regulating, we are firmly in favour of regulation that preserves the market for the vast majority of customers who enjoy recreational betting and gaming, whilst also ensuring appropriate protection to all players.”
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The UK Government have released the details of the White Paper and can be seen below in full detail:
Millions of people enjoy gambling every year – whether that be putting money on a horse, playing at a casino, or a bet on the football – and much of this is now done through smartphones. Technology has transformed the industry and people can bet 24 hours a day through ‘mobile virtual casinos’ in their pockets.
Most people play without issue, but there are too many cases of addiction, catastrophic financial loss and, in some tragic cases, suicide. For example, one player was allowed to lose £70,000 over a ten-hour period, while one customer was allowed to place a £100,000 bet immediately, even though he had a £70,000 credit limit.
Estimates suggest that there are approximately 300,000 problem gamblers in the UK – and problem gambling rates are higher for players in online casino games than those playing in bingo halls, casinos and pubs.
Last month, the Gambling Commission fined William Hill over £19 million for failures including allowing a customer to spend £23,000 in just 20 minutes.
Betting companies are already required to prevent harm, but there have been repeated instances where they have allowed losses which the majority of the population could never afford. The measures set out today will shield players in the grip of addiction from harm and hold gambling firms to account when they fail in their responsibility. They include:
These are the most comprehensive reforms to the gambling sector since the Gambling Act was introduced in 2005, and delivers on the 2019 manifesto commitment to review this act.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said:
“We live in an age where people have a virtual mobile casino in their pockets. It has made gambling easier, quicker and often more fun, but when things go wrong it can see people lose thousands of pounds in a few swipes of the screen.
“So we are stepping in to update the law for those most at risk of harm with a new levy on gambling operators to pay for treatment and education, player protection checks and new online slots stake limits.
“This will strengthen the safety net and help deliver our long-term plan to help build stronger communities while allowing millions of people to continue to play safely.”
Gambling Minister Stuart Andrew said:
“Technology has completely transformed how people bet. Everyone has the freedom to enjoy a flutter on the horses or football through their phones, anytime, anywhere – and most people do so without any issues.
“But for some people the availability of 24/7 online betting has compounded or created problem gambling, which can lead to life-changing financial loss and in the most tragic cases suicide.
“The legislation covering the gambling sector was written in 2005. It needs updating to reflect how we live today. The measures we are announcing will protect at-risk players, while allowing the millions who bet regularly to do so unhindered.”
Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission, Andrew Rhodes, said:
“The review is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver positive change for gambling in Great Britain and for all people impacted by it. Everyone at the Commission welcomes today’s publication of the White Paper and is determined to work with Government and partners to make these changes a reality.
“Given the correct powers and resources, the Gambling Commission can continue to make gambling safer, fairer and crime free. This White Paper is a coherent package of proposals which we believe can significantly support and protect consumers, and improve overall standards in the industry.
”As the detailed implementation of the review now begins, we will also be reiterating to all operators that the Commission will strongly maintain its focus on consumer protection and compliance.”
Minister for Public Health, Neil O’Brien said:
“Without the right support in place gambling can easily become harmful – especially for at-risk players – leading to devastating impacts on people’s savings, relationships and health.
“Today’s white paper is a huge step towards protecting people from the damaging impacts of gambling.
“A statutory levy will help problem gamblers access the right care at the right time, complementing our commitment to provide NHS gambling addiction treatment clinics in every region across the country.”
Today’s White Paper and proposals follow a call for evidence and are based on nearly 16,000 written submissions sent to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) during the process.
They build on the Government’s recent work with the Gambling Commission and others to ban the use of credit cards in gambling, introduce tighter age verification checks for betting online and cutting the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals to £2 per spin.
The White Paper follows the Premier League’s voluntary decision to ban gambling advertising from the front of clubs’ shirts from the end of the 2025/2026 season, and the White Paper includes proposals for all major sports governing bodies to sign up to a cross-sport Code of Practice on gambling sponsorship. It will be designed to improve standards where gambling sponsorship is prevalent in sport similar to what is in place in the alcohol industry.
The White Paper will support the ‘land-based’ gambling sector including casinos, arcades and bingo halls, while maintaining safeguards to protect vulnerable groups. Bingo halls, seaside arcades and casinos create employment, generate tourism and provide entertainment. Outdated and overly restrictive rules on gaming machines will be reformed so casinos and arcades can have more machines. We will consult on the protections needed for gaming machines to be able to accept cashless payments directly.
The first statutory gambling operator levy will replace the current voluntary levy which is not fit for purpose. As it stands not all betting companies pay their fair share and some have paid as little as £1. The NHS and many researchers do not take funds from the voluntary levy due to their concerns over the source of funding.
A new levy will be paid by gambling companies. Its proceeds will be ring-fenced for funding for research, education and treatment, including through the NHS.
The levy will be collected by the Gambling Commission and spending will be approved by the Government. The rate will be subject to further consultation, which will take into account factors such as business size, operating costs and problem gambling rates. The Government’s priority is to ensure there is sufficient long-term funding for high-quality research and treatment of gambling harm and addiction.
A new stake limit for online slots will be introduced with the default maximum stake of between £2 and £15 per spin, subject to consultation. The measure will help prevent runaway and life-changing losses and level the playing field between the online and land-based sectors. As it stands there is no limit on bets for online slots whereas in-person slot machines in pubs, arcades, bookmakers have a limit of £2 and casinos have limits of up to £5.
Public Health England research has shown younger adults can be particularly vulnerable to gambling harms, and with a problem gambling rate of 8.5 per cent for online slots, casinos and bingo, the Government will launch a consultation on options for specific protections for under 25s, including a lower stake limit or other controls.
In a move aimed at supporting those who may be suffering harm or in the grip of addiction, gambling operators will now be required to do more to protect customers.
Betting companies will be required to conduct seamless player protection checks on the highest spending gamblers to check they’re not incurring harmful losses. These checks will happen instantaneously, and will not impact gameplay, unless there are signs of financial harm where people may have declared bankruptcy, or are racking up debts to fund their gambling.
The checks will be targeted to where there is the most risk of harm. They are not about checking up on people having a flutter on the football or placing the odd bet on horse racing.
Around eight in ten players will never undergo checks. Checks will happen in the background against information already available online, so those who are checked will not notice.
Only about three percent of the highest spending accounts will have more detailed checks, similar to those carried out when people buy products through online credit agencies or sign up to some mobile phone contracts.
New powers will be given to the Gambling Commission to tackle and block unlicensed black market gambling firms from operating in the United Kingdom. It will do so through court orders and work with ISPs.
Illegal operators often try to subvert the system, including on player protection requirements, and this move will further strengthen the regulatory environment protecting those most at risk of harm.
The White Paper proposes reforming the fee structure for the Gambling Commission to give it greater flexibility to respond to any emerging risks and challenges posed by the industry. While the Commission continues to take strong action against operators who break the rules, cases with devastating financial harm are still occurring, and in the worst cases lives are being lost as a result of gambling harm and addiction.
The call for evidence showed that while millions of people enjoy an occasional bet every year without issue, particular groups such as those suffering addiction and harm, are at greater risk from certain aggressive advertising practices.
Bonus offers, such as free bets or spins, can drive harmful behaviour and trigger people to spend more than they intended. The Gambling Commission will take a closer look at how bonuses are constructed and targeted to prevent them being used in harmful ways and its work will inform new rules to stop dangerous practices.
The knock-on impact of the gambling White Paper on the horseracing industry will be minimal, but there will be a review into the current horserace betting levy to make certain racing continues to be appropriately funded for the future.
In addition, the Government’s White Paper also today confirms it will:
After six Ministers, four Secretaries of State and nearly two and half years, the long-awaited Government White Paper on future changes to betting and gaming regulations is finally to be announced. The constant delay has been frustrating for everybody, not least for the 110,000 people across the country whose jobs depend on the regulated industry and the 22.5m who enjoy a regular bet.
When the Government first launched the Gambling Review, back in December 2020, Ministers said they would take a strictly “evidence-led approach”. Recognising that parts of this sector needed to reform, the BGC was established. Fast forward to today and you see a different industry. One that has not only come together but got its act together.
With the creation of the BGC, change had been embraced, not resisted. Whilst ministers have come and gone, the BGC has announced over 80 new measures driving significant improvements on safer gambling. Whether it’s enhanced and independent funding for Research, Education and Treatment, or the ‘Whistle-to-Whistle’ ban on advertising and the huge increased take up of safer gambling tools, the regulated industry has been getting on with big change.
And of course, all of this is in marked contrast to the dangers posed by the growing unsafe and unregulated black market online. The current Secretary of State has outlined the impact the smartphone has had on the way punters like to bet, but this has not triggered an exponential rise in betting many assume. Fewer people are betting in the UK now than they were in 2019. Instead, independent figures from the regulator show participation in betting is stable, and problem gambling rates are low, and have actually been falling.
What the smartphone has enabled is unfettered access to unregulated black-market gambling online. So much so, the numbers visiting these sites tripled during the World Cup. These are rogue gambling operators that prey on problem gamblers, the vulnerable and young people.
Now I know some people don’t like betting. But in the end, it’s about freedom of choice. Millions of us enjoy a bet every month, on sports, bingo, the National Lottery or gaming – and the overwhelming majority do so perfectly safely and responsibly.
It’s also worth remembering that the industry generates £7.1bn for the economy and £4.2bn in taxes for the Exchequer, while sustaining tens of thousands of jobs. It also drives investment into the sports we love, including horseracing which receives £350m through the betting levy, sponsorship and media rights, £40m for the English Football League and its clubs, plus millions more for rugby, darts and snooker. As the economy continues to struggle, I’m confident Ministers recognise this vital contribution.
The truth is, throughout all the changes and constant delay, we have worked extremely hard and closely with the Government to help produce a wide-ranging package of reforms which builds on the significant changes and improvements made in recent years by our members.
From the start, we wanted to see balanced, proportionate and effective reforms that were genuinely evidence-led. Reforms which would further protect the vulnerable and young people, while continuing to use technology to target the 0.2 per cent of adults who are problem gamblers, whilst not (as the Secretary of State Lucy Frazer rightly says) spoiling the enjoyment of the many millions who bet perfectly safely and responsibly.
A particular focus of our work has been to secure genuinely ‘frictionless’ enhanced spending checks which further protect the vulnerable, a new Ombudsman to improve consumer redress, and overdue plans to modernise the regulation of UK casinos – all issues we at the BGC have campaigned for.
Given our previous support for enhanced and mandatory funding for Research, Education and Treatment to tackle gambling related harm, we also stand ready to deliver a new mandatory levy, as well as consult on new stake limits for online slots, welcoming in particular further protections for young people.
We also remain confident Ministers will reject key proposals from anti-gambling prohibitionists who have called for blanket, low level and intrusive affordability checks, plus bans on advertising, sports sponsorship and consumer promotions, all of which would harm our best-loved sports, threaten jobs and drive customers to the unsafe, unregulated gambling black market online.
This White Paper is a once in a generation moment for change. Its publication must draw a line under the lengthy and often polarised debates on gambling. It is evidence, not emotion, which must drive effective policy reform. That’s why going forward there will be a whole host of consultations as to how we best deliver that change.
Politicians (like me) come and go. But whatever happens over the next year or so, whatever ministerial changes or even a change of Government that could come our way, our focus will remain the business of change – driving higher standards in safer gambling, championing the businesses which support so many jobs and growth, and delivering for millions of customers who do enjoy a flutter.
Michael Dugher, Betting and Gaming Council CEO
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The long awaited White Paper on gambling reforms in the UK will be published today following an announcement in the House of Commons this morning by Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer who is responsible for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
It is understood that the online gambling industry will have more focus on restrictions than land based with the proposals offering bricks and mortar casinos some loosening on restrictions such as the amount of slot machines allowed.
For online operators it is understood there will be affordability checks on any gambler who loses £1,000 in a day. The White Paper on reforms has been in the works for over 2 years with then Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden announcing the review in December 2020.
The current chief Lucy Frazer wrote in the Times that: “The internet and the rise of the smartphone means gambling is ubiquitous, not just on the high street but everywhere and anywhere, providing round-the-clock access to betting.”
It is expected that a mandatory levy on all licensed operators will be brought in to pay for problem gambling programmes. It is believed to be 1% of net revenues which the government hopes will raise £140 million a year.
Other affordability checks expected will be if a gambler loses £1,000 in a 24 hour period or £2,000 in a 90-day period, how these will be controlled and monitored is unclear.
Limits on slots is also expected with a lower range of £2 for under 25 and a higher range of £15 for those over 25 years of age.
With land based casinos the government will relax the amount of slot machines currently at 20 to 80 per casino.
The full details of the White Paper is expected around 9.30am UK Time and the iGaming Post will update when the full details of the White Paper are announced.
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