• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
    • First Time Here?
    • Archive
    • London Blogs
  • Blog
  • Travel
    • London Theater Tickets
    • Shopping
    • Tips
    • Tours
    • Transport
    • Maps
    • Parks
    • Resources
    • Restaurants
    • Top 10 London
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Buildings
    • Food
    • London Books
    • Movies
    • Museums
    • Music
    • Pubs
  • Londonism
    • Reviews
    • Fun London
    • Iconic London
    • Life in London
    • London Realities
    • Moving to London
    • Politics
  • The Tube
  • London History
    • Great London Buildings
    • Great Londoners
  • Contact
  • Guidebooks
    • 101 London Travel Tips – Guidebook
    • 101 Free Things to do in London

Londontopia

The Website for People Who Love London

You are here: Home / News Features / Should the UK implement stricter gambling regulation?

Should the UK implement stricter gambling regulation?

Oct 11, 2022 By jonathan

Regulation in the gambling industry is a given. You can’t have a responsible gambling industry without sufficient intervention and supervision from the government. But are the laws and regulations strict enough as they are? Does more need to be done to combat the issue of problem gambling in the UK? Figures show around 260,000 people—0.5% of the population—struggle with gambling addiction, with a further 2.2 million at risk.

Many new restrictions have been suggested as introduced into law for gambling operators in the UK. Let’s look at a few of them, and why they might help the issue of problem gambling.

  1. Reform of the Gambling Commission

The Gambling Commission is the body which oversees the regulation of the industry, and it has been suggested that their powers and remit are revised to meet the challenge. Its remit, the House of Lords has suggested, should include prevention of harm, both actual and potential. It has also been suggested that the Commission itself ought to demonstrate it is willing to use the powers it already has.

Operating license must be withdrawn for repeat offences and extreme circumstances, which the UKGC seems to have been unwilling to do in many cases.

  1. Levies on companies

One of the big problems we still face at the moment is a lack of understanding of the problem on a nuts-and-bolts level. This is why it has been suggested to impose mandatory levies on gambling companies, which will then be used to fund research in and treatment of problem gambling. This would certainly be a step in the right direction, as real initiatives are needed to actually understand problem gambling.

For an industry that is worth around £14 billion a year, which also causes such a great deal of harm, taking money out of the industry as levies and putting them back into treating the root causes of problem gambling seems entirely appropriate.

  1. Customer communications

As ever, one thing which is also under scrutiny is the communications which operators broadcast to their customers. In the modern digital age, where everyone is so easily reachable at all times, it is easier than ever to induce gamblers to continue or restart gambling. There are currently only limited restrictions about the kinds of communications that gambling companies can send out to existing customers.

Future regulations would only allow inducements to gambling in strictly controlled situations and within clear limits. This discourages operators from attempting to solicit further business from problem gamblers.

  1. Advertising

Of course, advertising is also never free of the scrutinising eye of further regulation. One of the big areas of focus is on major league football, like the Premier League. Nine of the twenty teams in the League are currently sponsored by betting companies and as seen with sites like BoyleSports offering free bets, this advertising can be hugely attractive to gamblers. Future regulations should ban this, many argue. Advertisements in or near any sports ground would also be banned.

Advertising in general should also come under stricter control, if not be more or less outright banned. Celebrity endorsements are suggested to be banned, as well as from famous athletes. The issue of how such advertising affects children is difficult to avoid, and one of the biggest problems with betting advertising in general.

The gambling industry has been more and more strictly regulated over the years, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the restrictions are adequate. It all depends on perspective, and the position that regulation started from. Plainly, there is a big issue to be resolved in the UK around problem gambling. Until the regulations start showing the results of reduced harm, then more must always be done.

Share this:

  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Pocket

Filed Under: News Features

About jonathan

Jonathan is a consummate Anglophile who launched Anglotopia.net in 2007 to channel his passion for Britain. Londontopia is its sister publication dedicated to everything London.

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Our Free London Updates

Free London News

Get the latest news on London history, culture, travel, exhibitions, and more right in your inbox!

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Our Advertisers

If you are a mobile gamer, you may want to take a look at UK’s new mobile casinos and slots reviewed by NewCasinoUK.

Join the London Forum

  • What London West End Show do you most want to see?
  • Mudlarking
  • MY FAVOURITE PLACE IN LONDON
  • What's Your Favorite Place in London?
  • Paddington Station

London Guide

  • Ten Cheap Things You Can Do in London on a Budget
  • Ten London Exhibitions to Look Forward to in 2023
  • London’s Non-Free Museums: Your Guide to London’s Museums That Charge Admission
  • Trip Planning: Top 10 Exhibitions To Plan Your 2018 Trips to London Around
  • London Guide: Our Favorite Restaurants in London – London Restaurant Recommendations for Americans – What’s Your Favorite?

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • RSS Feed
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Support Londontopia

Search our Extensive Archive

Top 10 London

  • Ten Unusual Exhibits to See in London
  • London Pubs: Ten Thameside Pubs for a Pint and a View
  • Top 10 London: Ten More Things to Do Along the River Thames
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Shopping Centers in London
  • Museums of London: Ten Overlooked London Museums
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Haggerston
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Haringey
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Redbridge
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Hillingdon
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to Do in Canonbury

Recent Posts

  • London Underground: Our 25 Top Tube Usage Tips for London Travelers
  • The Fiver – London’s Oldest Hospitals
  • Ten More of the Best Independent Cinemas in London
  • The Drain: A Brief History of the Waterloo & City Line
  • The Fiver – Five American-style Diners in London
  • 10 Interesting Facts and Figures about Oxford Street
  • Tube History: A Brief History of the Victoria Line
  • The Fiver:  Five of the Most Expensive Restaurants in London
  • Top London Transport YouTubers To Subscribe To
  • Ten of the Most Interesting Buildings in Central London

Best Posts on Londontopia

  • 101 London Travel Tips
  • Top 100 London Attractions
  • How to Find the Cheapest Airfares to London
  • 10 Things NOT to do in London
  • Best London Guidebooks
  • 101 Free Things to do in London
  • London Lingo – A London Word Dictionary
  • Top 7 Tips for Doing London on the Cheap
  • Top 11 Myths American Believe about London
  • Guide to Eating in London
  • Best Times of Year to Travel to London
  • London Packing Tips
  • Top 11 Movies Set in London
  • Top Attractions off the Tourist Track
  • Top 5 Most Amazing London Hotels
  • Top 10 Hostels in London
  • Best Views in London Restuarants
  • London Taxi Ettiquette
  • Top 12 London Views
  • Great Fire of London
  • A Guide to Five of London’s Bridges
  • 10 Random Facts and Figures about Trafalgar Square
  • Top 100 British Slang Words

London Places to Explore

Bloomsbury Buckingham Palace Canary Wharf City of London Covent Garden Cutty Sark Greenwich Hampstead Hampton Court Palace Heathrow Houses of Parliament Hyde Park Imperial War Museum Islington Kensington Kensington Palace Leicester Square London London Eye London Transport Museum Museum of London National Gallery Notting Hill Piccadilly Circus Putney Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Regent's Street Royal Academy Selfridges Somerset House Southbank Southwark St Pancras St Paul's Cathedral Tate Britain Tate Modern The City Tower Bridge Tower of London Trafalgar Square V&A Wandsworth West End Westminster Westminster Abbey

SIGN-UP FOR FREE LONDON WEEKLY UPDATES!

Please enter a valid email address
That address is already in use
The security code entered was incorrect
Thanks for signing up

London Underground: Our 25 Top Tube Usage Tips for London Travelers

Tube History: A Brief History of the Victoria Line

Top London Transport YouTubers To Subscribe To

10 Interesting Facts about the Bakerloo Line

A Brief History of the London Overground

Ten Interesting Facts about the District Line

Footer

About Londontopia

Londontopia is simply the website for people who love London. It was founded by Jonathan & Jackie Thomas from Anglotopia.net as a place to post articles solely focused on London and its environs. Keep up with all the latest London news at Londontopia! This site is geared towards people who love to visit London and our primary audience is North American but everyone is welcome!

When We’re in London Next

We don’t currently have any travel plans to London but hope to visit at some point in 2021.

  • SEO Backlinks
  • Travel Blog

SIGN-UP FOR FREE LONDON WEEKLY UPDATES!

Please enter a valid email address
That address is already in use
The security code entered was incorrect
Thanks for signing up

Copyright © 2023 Anglotopia, LLC · Website Developed by Anglotopia, LLC · Log in