Gambling Act Review Evaluation Plan – 60+ Policy Measures
The government has revealed its Gambling Act Review evaluation plan as it moves forward with planned gambling reform.
Key Facts:
- Gambling Act Review first began back in January 2024
- Review was carried out by The National Centre for Social Research
- Government’s white paper has over 60 planned policy measures
- DCMS and the Gambling Commission working together on plans
Changes to the gambling sector are on the agenda for the Labour party in the UK after it assumed power at this year’s general election.
A statutory levy for operators in the industry has already been confirmed, with £100 million set to be raised by the measure, with more details of its plans having now been revealed.
What Is The Gambling Act Review Evaluation Plan?
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) confirmed that it opted to use The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) to carry out an evaluation scoping study.
Beginning in January 2024, the Gambling Act Review (GAR) looked at more than 60 proposed policy measures that are planned to be rolled out for the sector.
The UK is often described as having some of the world’s loosest regulations for the gambling sector, with the country home to countless online casinos and sports betting sites.
A government statement said: “DCMS and the Gambling Commission are working together to deliver an appropriate programme of work to evaluate the impact of the policy measures implemented following the GAR.”
The statement went on to note “the evaluation will be responsive to live policy decisions to ensure that it answers the evaluation questions with respect to final policy positions”.
Years of Review
Gambling reform has not been easy for successive governments to push through. Indeed, DCMS carried out a review of the Gambling Act 2005 all the way back in December 2020 with the aim of assessing whether the laws were fit for purpose in the new digital age.
The subsequent gambling white paper, which was published in April 2023, laid out dozens of proposed policy measures and the new Labour government is moving forward with the plans.
A government statement added: “The evaluation will focus on evaluating the impact that can be attributed to a number of specific policy measures implemented under the Gambling Act Review.
“It will seek to establish, as far as possible, whether in-scope policy measures are being delivered effectively, understand if they are achieving their intended outcomes, impacts, any unintended consequences, and capture learning to inform the design and implementation of any future policy changes.”
Operators will now be eagerly awaiting fresh updates on the progress made by the review.
