UK Government reconvenes gambling inquiry

The UK Government’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s fifth gambling inquiry is due to reconvene tomorrow (Tuesday, November 22, 2011) at 10h30 in Westminster, London.

The gambling enquiry announced in May 2011 was initiated to revisit the effectiveness of the implementation and operation of the Gambling Act 2005 and included the following topics for discussion:

–     How effective the Act has been in its core objectives to:

–  ensure that gambling is maintained crime-free and conducted in an open and fair manner,
– protect children and vulnerable people from the adverse effects of gambling,
–  update the legislative framework with regards to online gambling;

–     the financial impact of the Act on the UK gambling industry;

–     the effectiveness of the Gambling Commission since its establishment, and whether it represents good value for money;

–     the impact of the proliferation of off-shore online gambling operators on the UK gambling sector and what effect the Act has had on this;

–     why the Act has not resulted in any new licences for casinos or “super” casinos;

–     the effectiveness of the classification and regulation of gaming machines under the Act;

–     what impact the Act has had on levels of problem gambling.

The last session held November 8, 2011 heard testimony from high profile industry players such as; the Remote Gambling Association, Bet365, bwin.party, Betfair and Probability.

Tomorrow’s session will hear evidence from representatives of the Quaker Action on Alcohol and Drugs (QAAD), the Evangelical Alliance, The Methodist Church, The Salvation Army, CARE, GamCare, the National Centre for Social Research and a gambling specialist from the University of Birmingham.

Related and similar