UK parliamentary committee to assess effectiveness of regulation

A UK parliamentary committee will tomorrow hear evidence on the effectiveness of the 2005 Gambling Act, the government has confirmed.

The Select Committee on the Social and Economic Impact of the Gambling Industry will hear evidence from economist and former chair of the Gambling Review body, Sir Alan Budd.

During his time in charge of the Gambling Review body, Budd famously wrote the Gambling Review Report (2001), a report which paved the way for the 2005 Act.

Evidence will also be heard from Susanna Fitzgerald QC, who specialises in gambling, Dr Julia Hörnle, Professor of Internet Law at Queen Mary, University of London and Dan Waugh, partner at Regulus Partners.

The committee is made up of 13 members, including former Channel 4 executive Lord Grade, the Lord Bishop of St Albans and various other members of the House of Lords.

The committee will cover several subjects, including gambling advertising, the treatment of problem gambling and the enforcement of licensing conditions requiring operators to protect customers from gambling harm.

In addition, the committee will examine whether regulation and licensing conditions should be updated, examine the use of credit cards in gambling and ask whether operators should have a legal duty of care to their customers.

Finally, committee members will evaluate the effectiveness of the 2005 Gambling Act and assess whether it has done enough to prevent problem gambling in the UK.

The enquiry into the social and economic impact of the gambling industry was first launched in July, with issuance of a consultation document calling for evidence from industry stakeholders, operators and treatment professionals.

Previous committee hearings have discussed whether there is enough effective research being undertaken into gambling-related harm within the UK and discussed whether the voluntary levy on gambling firms is enough to guarantee effective treatment of problem gamblers.