His Majesty\u2019s Government recognises that, while millions of people gamble without experiencing problems, for some it becomes an addiction with serious consequences. It is particularly important to take steps to protect those, particularly young people, who are at risk of experiencing gambling harm.<\/p>
In April 2023 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport published a White Paper following our review of the Gambling Act 2005. The White Paper outlined a series of measures to tackle practices and products which can drive harm and to ensure that people who are at risk of gambling harm and addiction are protected. These include new, frictionless financial risk checks, a stake limit for online slots games, improvements to customer-led tools, and tougher restrictions on bonuses and direct marketing. These measures will be complemented by strengthened messaging about the risks associated with gambling. The White Paper also contained a commitment to introduce a new statutory levy paid by operators to fund research, prevention, and treatment. In July 2023 the Gambling Commission also published a vulnerability statement, outlining its approach to identifying, supporting, and protecting consumers who are in vulnerable situations.<\/p>
We are working with the Gambling Commission and others to bring the measures from the White Paper into force as quickly as possible, and have already published consultations on a number of important proposals so that we can finalise details ahead of their implementation.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4032", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Stuart Andrew"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Pudsey"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Stuart Andrew"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-05-01", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-05-01T14:16:51.28Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "217"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Culture, Media and Sport"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Culture, Media and Sport"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2024-04-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Gambling: Children and Young People"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to protect (a) children and (b) young people from gambling harm.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/350", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir John Hayes"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South Holland and The Deepings"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Sir John Hayes"} ], "uin" : "23098"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1647640", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Culture, Media and Sport"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1647640/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Government recognises that it is particularly important to take steps to protect young people at risk of harms associated with online gambling.<\/p>
The Gambling Act review considered the efficacy of protections for children and young adults, including on age controls for online gambling. Evidence submitted as part of the review, and Gambling Commission surveys show low rates of illegal underage gambling with online operators. When this does occur, it is generally through misuse of an adult\u2019s account or details rather than a failure of the verification process.<\/p>
While the current rules require online operators to verify a customer\u2019s age before they are allowed to deposit money or gamble, they do not specify how this has to be done. Most operators use background checks to verify age and identity, rather than relying on the provision of identity documentation. There is little evidence to suggest widespread use of fake documentation by underage adults to access online gambling.<\/p>
We recently published a white paper following our Review of the Gambling Act 2005. The paper introduces a range of proportionate measures to tackle practices and products that can drive harm, particularly among young people.<\/p>
Over recent years, the Government has worked with the Gambling Commission and others on a range of measures to protect young people from harms associated with online gambling. This includes tightening the age verification requirements for both land-based and online operators in 2019, and raising the minimum age to play the National Lottery to 18 and over in 2021.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4032", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Stuart Andrew"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Pudsey"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Stuart Andrew"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-07-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-07-04T09:00:07.137Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "217"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Culture, Media and Sport"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Culture, Media and Sport"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-06-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Gambling: Children and Young People"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the gambling industry on young people under 18 using fake ID to take part in online gambling.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4131", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jim Shannon"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Strangford"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jim Shannon"} ], "uin" : "191058"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1218239", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1218239/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
All gambling advertising, wherever it appears, is subject to strict controls on content and placement. Ads must never be targeted at children or vulnerable people and operators face sanction if their advertising or sponsorship activities are not carried out in a socially responsible way. These rules mean that an operator would face sanctions from the Advertising Standards Authority or the Gambling Commission if their advertising were to appear in computer games targeted at children. The realistic reproduction of a team football shirt in a computer game based on football is not considered advertising simply because there are logos on the shirt.<\/p>
<\/p>
The Advertising Standards Authority\u2019s latest figures on TV gambling advertising show that children\u2019s exposure has fallen from an average of 4.4 ads per week in 2013, to 2.5 per week in 2019. At the Gambling Commission\u2019s urging, industry has committed to make better use of advertising technology to target adverts away from children online and on social media. From July 2020 the Gambling Industry Code for Socially Responsible advertising will require operators to ensure advertising is targeted only at those over 25 years old on social media and to age-gate operator YouTube channels and content.<\/p>
<\/p>
The Government assessed the evidence on advertising in its Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures, the full response to which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-proposals-for-changes-to-gaming-machines-and-social-responsibility-measures<\/a>. Since then, in March this year, the charity GambleAware has published the final report of a major piece of research into the effect of gambling marketing and advertising on children, young and vulnerable people. That study found that while there was some indication that exposure to advertising was associated with an openness to gamble in the future amongst children and young people aged 11-24 who did not currently gamble, there were other factors that correlated more closely with current gambling behaviour amongst those groups including peer and parental gambling. It did not suggest a causal link between exposure to gambling advertising and problem gambling in later life.<\/p> <\/p> Ministers have regular meetings with stakeholders on a range of issues. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the government\u2019s website at: https://www.gov.uk/search/transparency-and-freedom-of-information-releases?content_store_document_type=transparency&organisations%5B%5D=department-for-digital-culture-media-sport<\/a>.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4407", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Nigel Huddleston"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Mid Worcestershire"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Nigel Huddleston"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-07-06", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "65164"}
, {"_value" : "65165"}
, {"_value" : "65166"}
], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-07-06T17:11:36.707Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "10"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2020-06-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Gambling: Children and Young People"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment the Government has made of the effect of gambling advertising on children and young people.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4480", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Carolyn Harris"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Swansea East"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Carolyn Harris"}
], "uin" : "65163"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1135411", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1135411/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Protecting children and vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling is a core objective of the regulation of gambling in Great Britain, and a priority for the government.<\/p> <\/p> Operators offering gambling services to people in Great Britain must have a licence from the Gambling Commission and must have effective policies and procedures designed to prevent underage gambling. Where there is a failure to prevent underage gambling, the Gambling Commission has a range of powers to act, including regulatory and/or criminal action.<\/p> <\/p> The Government's Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures, published in May 2018, set out measures to increase existing protections around gaming machines, online gambling and gambling advertising. These included new guidance from the Committees of Advertising Practice on protecting children and young people, and stricter age verification controls for online gambling operators. The response can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-proposals-for-changes-to-gaming-machines-and-social-responsibility-measures<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> The Gambling Commission carries out an annual survey of gambling behaviour among 11-16 year olds in Great Britain, which gives an estimate of rates of participation in gambling activities and problem gambling. The most recent report was published in November 2018. This can be found here: https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/pdf/survey-data/young-people-and-gambling-2018-report.pdf<\/a><\/p> <\/p> A report from the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board (RGSB, now called Advisory Board for Safer Gambling, ABSG), expert advisers to the Gambling Commission, and the Gambling Commission\u2019s response can also be found here: https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/PDF/RGSB-Gambling-and-children-and-young-people-2018.pdf<\/a><\/p>