Entain Accused of Dishonest Lobbying
Leading betting and gaming operator Entain has been accused of dishonest lobbying after it urged consumers to complain to their MPs over incoming gambling reforms. Last month the British government unveiled its white paper detailing proposed changes to gambling laws. While Entain publicly welcomed the new legislation, it has emerged that an organization it set up launched a campaign to undermine the changes.
The Players’ Panel, which Entain launched in 2021, asked consumers to put pressure on local MPs to oppose new gambling reforms. ©Tatiana Syrikova/Pexels
Mixed Messages
Entain is alleged to have lobbied people to write to their local MPs in protest of incoming gambling reforms. Journalists reported that they saw emails showing that the operator was funding a lobbying operation designed to water down the new legislation. Critics have lashed out at the operator, describing the lobbying effort as dishonest and shameful.
The government unveiled plans to introduce tighter gambling regulations last month, when it published a long-awaited white paper. The proposals are the result of the Gambling Act Review, launched in December 2020, which intends to bring the UK’s gambling laws up to date with the digital age.
The operator welcomed the announcement of new legislation in April, hailing it an important step in the right direction. CEO of Entain, Jette Nygaard-Andersen said that a robust regulatory framework would create a level playing field for operators as well as offer clarity to the industry and its customers. She stated:
“As a global and diversified business that operates in over 40 regulated or regulating territories around the world, all of which are regulated or regulating, we are firmly in favour of regulation that preserves the market for the vast majority of customers who enjoy recreational betting and gaming, whilst also ensuring appropriate protection to all players.”
However, Entain’s participation in efforts to overturn those reforms has some come to light, undermining its initial message. New gambling laws are designed to make gambling safer for consumers. However, the changes are likely to impact revenue for online operators like Entain.
Letter Writing Campaign
The Guardian has published its findings into Entain’s scheme to water down new gambling legislation. In the days following the publication of the white paper, the Players’ Panel wrote to individuals who had signed up to receive information about its work. The organization is funded and managed by Entain.
The Players’ Panel states that it gives a voice to those who bet safely and responsibly. In an email, it stated that “the government has decided to limit when and how much you can bet”. It went on to claim that this would significantly impact the ability of gamblers to bet responsibly. It called on recipients to write to their MPs opposing the reforms.
While the Players’ Panel website does make it clear that the group is overseen by Entain, this interest was not disclosed in the emails sent to gamblers. Members of the group were given ten letter templates to choose from, with some targeting specific elements of the white paper.
In one template, the reforms were described as a massive infringement on personal freedoms, suggesting that the MP receiving the letter should take up the issue with Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer. Another included the statement “It isn’t fair, it isn’t right and it isn’t British”.
The templates contradict Entain’s public stance on the legislation, labelling the white paper a “negative step” that would cause more harm than good. Amongst the proposals that the templates called for intervention on were restrictions on free spins, caps on online slot stakes and enhanced affordability checks intended to curb unsustainable losses.
MPs Criticize Entain
A number of political figures have voiced their disdain for Entain’s tactic. While lobbying for the gambling industry is not illegal, it appears that the Players’ Panel may have deliberately chosen not to highlight the fact that it is led by Entain. The operator has declined to reveal how much of the Players’ Panel funding it is responsible for, or if any of its staff wrote the templates.
Former leader of the Conservative party MP Iain Duncan Smith has said that the emails showed a “level of dishonesty”. He criticized Entain for failing to disclose to those on the Players’ Panel mailing lists that the campaign to write to MPs was a lobbying exercise. The minister accused Entain of attempting to hide behind constituents instead of openly declaring its interests.
Iain Duncan Smith is the Vice Chair of the Gambling Related Harm APPG. MP Carolyn Harris, who chairs the cross-party parliamentary group, has also spoken out against the lobbying claims. She branded the attempt of the emails to undermine the government’s proposals shameful and dishonest.
Former leader of the Scottish Conservatives Lady Davidson conceded that it was legitimate for the public to lobby MPs on new legislation, although MPs cannot lobby on behalf of firms in exchange for money. Davidson said that Entain’s strategy to keep MPs and members of the public in the dark over its role behind the email templates was underhanded.
Entain has since responded to the allegations. Issuing a statement, it said that it did not see any contradiction between its public response to the white paper and its encouragement of customers to participate in the gambling debate. It added that members of the Players’ Panel are unpaid volunteers who receive no benefit from the company.
