Re: How we can solve the crisis in UK gambling policy bmj.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bmj.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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