Operators Hit By New Gambling Levy Designed to Raise £100m
Online slot stake limits of £5 for over 25s and a lower amount of £2 for young adults aged 18 to 24 have been confirmed. The UK government is also aiming to raise £100 million through the rollout of a new gambling levy that all operators will have to pay.
Gambling operators in the UK will have to pay a new mandatory levy. © AlexBarcley, Pixabay
Comitment to Effective Support
The new UK government has announced its first reforms of the gambling industry, launching a new mandatory levy that is said to raise £100 million.
Labour said in its pre-election manifesto it would be making changes to the sector, but it has taken until now to provide details of the reform.
Licensed operators in the UK will now be forced to contribute via the levy, with the money raised going towards supporting those who are affected by gambling addiction. The government said some operators contribute as little as £1 a year towards research, prevention and treatment.
Gambling minister Baroness Twycross said: “Gambling harm can ruin people’s finances, relationships, and ultimately lives. We are absolutely committed to implementing strengthened measures for those at risk, as well as providing effective support for those affected.
“The introduction of the first legally mandated levy will be instrumental in supporting research, raising awareness and reducing the stigma around gambling-related harm.”
Online Slot Stake Limits Confirmed
Part of the new changes outlined by the government include new stake limits for online slot games.
Young adults aged 18 to 24 will not be able to stake more than £2 on a slot spin, while over-25s will be limited to a top stake of £5 per spin when playing slots.
Data collected by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and the Gambling Survey for Great Britain found that young adults may be particularly vulnerable to gambling harms.
Professor Henrietta Bowden-Jones, the national clinical advisor on gambling harms at NHS England, said: “Gambling harms have a devastating effect on people’s lives.
“We know that 2.5% of the population are gambling in a severe and harmful way, but many more are affected, whether family members or gamblers already experiencing negative consequences but below the clinical threshold.”
BGC: Government Losing Perspective
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) said in a statement responding to the new gambling levy that it initially supported the introduction of a mandatory levy and reform of stake limits.
Grainne Hurst, the BGC’s chief executive, pointed out that members of the standards body, which is also described as a pressure group, have made voluntary contributions totalling £170 million to combat gambling-related harms in the last four years.
She pointed out that this money has gone towards an independent network of charities that are supporting 85 per cent of problem gamblers receiving treatment in Britain.
Hurst said: “Ministers must not lose sight of the fact that the vast majority of the 22.5 million people who enjoy a bet each month, on the lottery, in bookmakers, casinos, bingo halls and online, do so safely, while the most recent NHS Health Survey for England estimated that just 0.4 per cent of the adult population are problem gamblers.”
“The tone of this announcement suggests the government is at risk of losing perspective of these facts while simply dancing to the tune of anti-gambling prohibitionists, which serves no one.”
