Recent consultations on UK gambling policy do not deliver the transformational change needed, write May CI van Schalkwyk and Rebecca Cassidy
We are at a perilous moment in the regulation of gambling in the UK. We must choose between continuing with the current laws, designed to protect and expand the gambling industry, or changing our approach to focus on preventing gambling harm. The incremental changes to gambling regulation proffered by the government’s white paper1 are superficially appealing, but limited reforms will ultimately help to conserve flawed legislation. A new Gambling Act, founded on public health principles, is needed urgently.23
Implementing a statutory levy on gambling operators will not be sufficient to reduce the harms. On the contrary, taking money from the gambling industry entrenches the dangerous idea that the industry can grow without limits, as long as it pays for the harm it causes.4 Given what we know about gambling harms, ranging from family breakdowns and job losses to homelessness and suicide,5 we should be asking questions that are not covered by the consultations on gambling regulation, including what kind of gambling industry we want to have in the UK.
The Gambling Act 2005 was harmful from its inception.6 Designed to make the UK the centre of the online gambling industry, it defined people, not products, as the problem, and required the regulator and local authorities to “aim to permit” gambling.6 A public health approach cannot be “bolted on” to legislation that is based on completely opposing logic. A public health approach requires a transformational shift.78
Despite the …
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