The impact of the election results on the UK Gambling Policy

Keir Starmer and his Labour Party won the elections on July 4, ending 14 years of Conservative rule. This major shake-up of the Parliament will result in numerous changes, impacting all sectors, including gambling. After the Gambling White Paper was published last year, the gambling industry was preparing for the biggest legislation reform since 2005. So, what happens now after the Labour’s takeover?

Background on UK gambling policy

Gambling in the UK is still regulated under the provisions of the Gambling Act 2005, which was introduced by the last Labour Party government. It established the Gambling Commission and brought numerous changes to the way the activity is controlled in the country.

These changes mostly had a positive impact on the industry, allowing companies greater freedom in advertising, which eventually helped make the activity more mainstream.

With the current policies on advertising, it’s easy to find both land-based and online casinos to play at. Even with the National Online Self Exclusion Scheme in place, players can find casinos not on GAMSTOP and without any similar restriction systems. These sites are licenced overseas, instead of within the UK, and therefore don’t have to comply with GAMSTOP and other regulations set out by the UKGC.

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However, so much has changed since 2005. Today, a standard player is more likely to play in a real money online casino rather than visiting a brick-and-mortar one. This shift to web-based casinos means that the act currently in place is critically out of date.

The Conservative government decided to address this by reviewing the current legislation in 2020. The new Gambling White Paper was finally published in 2023, proposing several big changes and aiming to reform the sector. However, with Labour taking over, questions have been raised about whether these changes will see the light of day.

What is Labour’s stance on UK gambling policy

Although the policies in the Gambling Act 2005, introduced by Tony Blair and his New Labour, are one of the more lenient on the continent, the party has historically advocated for stricter regulations in terms of advertising and more help for problem gamblers.

The Labour Party previously said that it’ll look to strengthen protections for players and collaborate with industry leaders to ensure responsible gambling. However, no clear points of action have been revealed so far.

It’s still early to speak in detail about how exactly the Labour Party will look to achieve this and the comments made so far have been rather vague. Still, what kind of improvements can we expect to see from the new government?

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Well, with web-based casinos emerging as the most popular places for Brits to gamble, we can assume that any updates will aim to control online gambling.

One of the potential changes could be the introduction of compulsory financial risk checks. In future, online casinos may be required to monitor players’ financial position and gambling habits.

Update online gambling legislation

According to the 2023 White Paper, online casinos may also have to adjust their stake limits on slot games. Currently, there’s a £5 limitation in brick-and-mortar casinos, and those operating online may be required to set it at the same amount.

Changes regarding the UK’s stance on gambling advertising have also been proposed in the paper.

Some control measures already exist. In 2018, the same year GAMSTOP was launched, iGaming operators voluntarily agreed to a “whistle-to-whistle” ban which prohibits them from promoting their services during live broadcasts.

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However, new trends in the sector have opened up new advertising opportunities that may require tighter control and we may see them be introduced by the new Labour government.

The party may also focus on the issue centering on underage exposure to the activity. There has already been a lot of discussion on whether opening loot packs in games such as the EA FC series (previously known as FIFA) is a form of gambling. Belgium has already defined loot boxes as gambling and banned them accordingly.

Another rule we may see imposed soon is the one that requires iGaming operators to be included in funding research into problem gambling and provide help for vulnerable players.

A similar scheme already exists, but operators can participate in it voluntarily. With the new changes, they would have to forward 1% of the money they make (0.4% for brick-and-mortar casinos) into such research.

The future for UK gambling policy

All in all, it’s still too early to truly define the changes in the UK gambling policy that we are going to see. What is certain is that the parliament will further discuss the proposals outlined in the 2023 White Paper and decide on the changes to be introduced.