More unwelcome uncertainty as gambling reform campaigners set sights on a new Gambling Act

It was around eight years ago this month that Brenda from Bristol achieved lasting fame for her reaction to being told by a BBC interviewer that there was to be a general election.

"You're joking – not another one," she replied, a reaction that struck such a chord that it has even featured on birthday cards.

Reviews of gambling legislation do not come around as often as elections and there was one relatively recently which kicked off in December 2020 and produced a white paper published almost exactly two years ago.

• The white paper two years on: 'A lot of the things we warned about are coming to pass' 

• Uncertain times continue for the sport as constant political change scuppers much-needed breakthroughs 

However, despite many of the measures contained within that white paper having not even been implemented yet – and indeed partly because of those delays – there is talk that the issue of gambling reform needs to be revisited and not just through another review.

It was suggested last week that campaigners for gambling reform are set to turn their attention to calls for a new Gambling Act.

The comments came in a presentation made by Dr James Noyes, senior fellow at the Social Market Foundation think tank, to an online conference on the future of the gambling sector organised by the Westminster Media Forum.

Given Noyes's position among those who have been campaigning for gambling reform, it is unlikely it was just a guess on his part.

Noyes pointed out that, before the last Conservative government launched its review of gambling legislation in December 2020, campaigners had been calling not just for reform but for a whole new act. Indeed, the Labour Party's manifesto for the 2019 general election had pledged to introduce "a new gambling act fit for the digital age".

Noyes said that the white paper was presented as being a conclusion to the case for reform and the question was whether it had succeeded. If not, Noyes argued, the new government should consider an alternative approach.

He then set out the main issues which continue to be discussed around the subject of gambling, including the confusion over the official statistics for gambling harm, the unresolved arguments around advertising, the rise of gambling through cryptocurrency and unresolved matters from the white paper such as the proposed new ombudsman.

"At some point the government will have to make a decision about whether we can keep going on like this, putting sticking plasters on to a 20-year-old Gambling Act which, it increasingly seems, has much deeper inherent problems," Noyes said.

"And so, we go back to what reformers and Labour politicians in this current government were saying five years ago – that if an analogue piece of legislation continues to prove unfit for the digital age, then the only reasonable and rational alternative left is to call for a new Gambling Act."

Noyes "would not be surprised" if that was where the reform movement will start to focus in the months ahead. He said campaigners would be aware of the scale of such an ambition, but added: "I also know that they have the conviction, they have the resources and they have the people required to dig in for the long run and make the case for it to happen."

The Labour government has not shown a huge appetite for revisiting the gambling review, instead choosing to implement the measures set in train by the previous administration once they had got their feet under the table. Indeed, the team at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have not shown themselves to be anywhere near as hawkish on the subject of gambling as the industry might have feared.

Advertising is the main area where the government has shown some interest, with gambling minister Baroness Twycross having begun discussions with the industry about the volume of marketing.

However, the local elections are coming up this week and there has been speculation that a bad showing at the polls for Labour could result in a reshuffle and the possibility of new ministers with different ideas.

Not only that, there were signs that Labour MPs were showing interest in what Noyes had to say as Alex Ballinger MP, who was chairing the meeting, told him: "I will just add that there's a considerable caucus of new MPs who are interested in reforming the Gambling Act for all of the reasons you outlined."

Noyes quite rightly pointed out that the campaign for reform had proved influential in getting the last government to review the 2005 Gambling Act and had continued to influence the narrative around gambling.

As things stand, it would seem unlikely that the current government will have much hunger for a new act but new faces could mean new attitudes and campaigners have shown they are in for the long haul.

With that could come more unwelcome uncertainty, not only for the gambling industry but for British racing too

Mark Johnston: addressed GoingStick controversy on his websiteCredit: Edward Whitaker

BHA needs to address participants' concerns

The BHA's acting chief executive Brant Dunshea was quick to counter any ideas last week that the governing body pursued a two-tier approach to regulation.

Those suggestions have figured increasingly in recent weeks in response to perceptions about the BHA's treatment of racecourses.

There has been the increasing frustration of jockeys about the slow progress some courses have been making towards updating weighing room facilities, which resulted in a Racing Post exposé this month.

• ‘All you can think about is that smell’ - the shocking conditions inside Britain’s weighing rooms revealed 

• The shocking state of female changing rooms dubbed 'racing's dirty secret' 

Then there was the case of Thirsk clerk of the course James Sanderson, who admitted to tweaking GoingStick readings, claiming the device gives misleading results.

That prompted record-breaking former trainer Mark Johnston to ask how the BHA would react to the news. He wrote in the Bletherings section of his website: "Inevitably, there will be, or should be, comparisons with the action they take when jockeys or trainers are found to have acted in ways which undermine the integrity of racing."

Dunshea told a media briefing last week that he had heard the narrative that the BHA treated participants and racecourses differently but argued it was not true, pointing to the extensive regulations to which courses must abide and a recent £5,000 fine imposed on Sedgefield for having broken them. He also said the BHA's disciplinary department was considering Sanderson's comments.

However, Dunshea will be acutely aware there is a feeling among at least some of the sport's participants there is a power imbalance between them and racecourses. The sometimes heated annual meeting of the National Trainers Federation he attended in March provided evidence of that.

The BHA can argue such concerns are misplaced but they appear to be growing and they need addressing. It should be prominent in Lord Allen's in-tray when he starts as BHA chair in June

Barber's bullets

Minister attends Sandown

Minister for gambling Baroness Twycross was among the racegoers at Sandown on Saturday.

"It was brilliant to be at Sandown Park to witness the final day of an exciting National Hunt season," she said. "Racing is key to our national story. The government recognises the significant contribution the industry makes to British sporting culture and its importance to the British economy.

Baroness Fiona Twycross: minister for gambling at Sandown on Saturday

"We are committed to supporting the sport to thrive and will continue to work closely with the industry to secure its financial sustainability."

Search begins for new Gambling Commission chair

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has begun its search for the next permanent chair of the Gambling Commission.

It has begun advertising the position, saying the successful candidate will, among other priorities, "promote high standards of financial governance, encouraging the efficient and effective use of staff and other resources throughout the commission".

Remuneration for the role is £59,950 a year for two days' work a week, with the term lasting four years. Applications close on May 18. 

Charles Counsell took over as interim chair for a nine-month term when Marcus Boyle stepped down at the end of January.

People board secures funding

The Horseracing Industry People Board (HIPB) has secured funding of a combined £759,000 from the Racing Foundation and Levy Board to support the implementation of its immediate programme of activity for 2025.

The grants will support a number of initiatives and provide continuity funding for ongoing programmes of work, as well as supporting additional roles in the HIPB programme team, based within the BHA.

The bolstered team will be led by newly appointed programme director Jon Pett, who has previously had senior leadership and performance director roles at Pentathlon GB, British Cycling and Table Tennis England.

Dates for the diary

Tuesday: Ladbrokes and Coral owner Entain releases its trading update for the first quarter of 2025.

Read these next:

Report sounds warning over affordability checks' role in growing the black market - but will it be heard? 

Gambling debate begins to heat up again with prospect of campaigners 'bringing the fight' 

Racing bodies can try to ignore him but Peter Savill's presence definitely makes a prize-money deal more likely 

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