Ex-Minister: Gambling laws must be reformed

A former minister has urged the UK Government not to abandon plans to enact proper reform of gambling laws.

Tracey Crouch MP, who was Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Sport, Civil Society and Loneliness between 2017 and 2018, raised concerns in a letter to The Times.

In the last few weeks, media reports have suggested the government is watering down a promised whitepaper on reform of outdated gambling laws, amid industry lobbying.

A mooted statutory levy on companies to fund gambling addiction treatment and research have reportedly been shelved, as well as plans to curb advertising.

Ms Crouch, who is also a qualified FA football coach, wrote:

"As the minister responsible for gambling policy I will never forget meeting those who had succumbed to a gambling addiction, as well as the families of those whose loved ones had taken their own lives because the peril they faced from gambling was too much for them to bear.

"Reforms to protect people from the harmful impact of gambling were in our 2019 manifesto so there is nothing 'un-Conservative' about them, contrary to what some in the party are saying. The most unforgivable thing will be to have made promises of ambitious reform, only for the government to renege at the last minute.

"Those who place a bet know the underlying truth is that the bookmaker always wins. It seems this could be the case with gambling policy too."