David Clifton, Licensing Expert: 10 forecasts and a hope for 2021 Share
March 26, 2021
12 months ago, 2019 ended with a promise within the Queen’s Speech from the then newly elected Conservative Party government to “carry out a Review of the Gambling Act”. Now, 2020 is ending with that promise being fulfilled.
On 8 December 2020, the Gambling Act Review was launched, with a Call for Evidence that runs until midnight on 31 March 2021, following which the government says it will “assess the evidence presented, alongside other data, with the aim of setting out conclusions and any proposals for reform in a white paper next year”.
In summarising the purpose of the Review as being to “ensure gambling laws are fit for a digital age”, its accompanying government press release adopted a phrase used by the former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Tom Watson, back in February 2019.
Time for action on National Lottery age limit
17th December 2020
| By Joanne Christie
The government’s decision to raise the minimum age for playing the National Lottery will hopefully draw a line under an issue that brought lots of bad press to the sector for very little financial gain. Joanne Christie reports.
So far, the only concrete change to come out of the much-hyped forthcoming overhaul of British gambling laws is the raising of the age at which players can play the National Lottery from 16 to 18.
But rather than being a blow to incumbent Camelot and its competitors in the race for the fourth National Lottery tender, and unlike some of the decisions expected to result from the review, the news probably came as a relief.