Gambling companies face mandatory levy under government plans, reports suggest

The gambling industry will face a compulsory levy to help fund gambling treatment, education, and research under government reform proposals, reports from Whitehall suggest.

The Financial Times reports that ministers are minded to introduced the policy, after previously rejecting it. The government is also understood to be considering other measures.

Online casinos may be required to carry out tougher checks on customers before allowing them to bet, and so-called VIP packages on betting sites could be banned outright.

There was some expectation that new regulation would curb big gambling's influence on sport, but it is thought that a mooted ban on gambling shirt sponsors is not in the works.

A levy is expected to be around 1% of the betting industry's gross gambling yield. Currently, the gambling commission recommends companies donate 0.1 per cent but this has rarely been met.

CARE has called for a much more substantial levy - 5 per cent or more - due to the immense harms associated with gambling addiction, thought to cost £1.2 billion annually.

Tim Cairns, CARE's policy expert on gambling, has stressed that the welfare of millions of people across the UK gamdepends on fast, and significant action by the government:

"We welcome this indication that a statutory levy is to be included in the government's white paper, but the British public have waited far too long for action on this issue.

"As many as two million Brits are addicted to gambling, or at risk of developing an addiction. One suicide happens in the UK every single day. We're in a public health emergency.

"Ministers have a moral duty to act quickly, and introduce significant curbs on the betting industry, which is wreaking havoc on our society. Our laws are sorely out-of-date.

"We call on the government to bring forward its plans, and include a levy, restrictions on betting ads, measures to protect children and other measures campaigners have asked for."