MP lobbied government on gambling reform after enjoying Casino hospitality

A Conservative MP lobbied the minister responsible for a new white paper on behalf of a casino, it has emerged.

Philip Davies, the MP for Shipley, West Yorkshire, wrote to culture secretary Lucy Frazer in February after being entertained at a luxury casino in Mayfair.

He advised her to make changes that would benefit the casino, enabling it to offer credit lines to gamblers. This policy suggestion appeared in the white paper.

In a letter to Ms Frazer, Mr Davies referred to the casino's income as "our" gross gambling yield, suggesting he was playing up the tax benefits of helping the betting industry.

Reform proposals

The government published its long-awaited white paper on gambling reform last week, setting out a series of proposals to be consulted on further.

CARE has expressed disappointment that more months of consultation are to take place on policies that are well-evidence and broadly supported.

CARE is also concerned that the white paper includes no meaningful action on gambling advertising, which has come to dominate football in particular.

Public health officials warn that the saturation of betting ads in sport puts problem gamblers and children at risk. And the public has expressed concern in polls.

New measures

CARE is calling for various measures to tackle gambling harms and bring accountability to the gambling industry, including:

• A 5 percent levy on gambling companies’ profits to fund help for problem gamblers.
• An end to gambling advertising and sponsorship at or during football matches
• Robust affordability checks to prevent problem gamblers incurring huge losses.
• An end to controversial ‘VIP’ offers that target people at risk of addiction.