Government confirms delay to gambling law review

The UK Government has confirmed further delays to its long-awaited reform of gambling laws, prompting fears over lives being ruined through gambling addiction.

Yesterday afternoon, Lib Dem Peer Lord Foster of Bath asked when Ministers will publish their response to a review of the Gambling Act 2005.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, responded:

"[The government's] review is looking at a very wide range of issues and our call for evidence received 16,000 submissions, which we are considering carefully. We will publish a White Paper setting out our vision for the sector in the coming months."

Ministers were supposed to publish the review, including recommendations on modernising out-of-date gambling legislation, at the end of last year.

In an article published in The Times this week, CARE CEO Ross Hendry warned that delays to reform are leading to people's lives being ruined. Mr Hendry wrote:

"Ministers promised their review two years ago. Parliamentarians and expert groups are keen to see it and begin work towards vital reforms. Frustration is beginning to mount at the sluggishness with which this serious issue is being treated.

"Delays to reform are disastrous for those who desperately need support and protection. Tens of thousands of Britons are locked in addiction today. Addiction results in depression, alcohol and drug use, debt, homelessness, unemployment and even suicide."

He added:

"Media reports frequently highlight the devastation families face through losing a loved one to suicide after they fell into gambling addiction. Estimates suggest that more than 600 people a year lose their lives in this way.

"The gambling lobby is well resourced and has no shame in trying to buy the loyalty of MPs. The government must resist its wiles and recommend truly beneficial reforms. And it must do so soon: the health and lives of British citizens depend on it."