The Gambling Industry makes and turns over a lot of money in the UK. Each year over £14 BILLION pounds permanently leaves the pockets of UK residents and ends up in the bank accounts of the gambling industry.
Let’s just write that number out in long hand.
A net wealth transfer of over £14,000,000,000.00 each year from ordinary citizens to licensed gambling operators.
Equivalent to every household in the UK handing over nearly £500 of their own money.
That £14bn does include the money spent on National Lottery games… but make no mistake about it, the National Lottery license holders, currently Allwyn, ARE a gambling operator. Their profit model is just like every other licence holder… the more money customers lose, the more profit they make for their shareholders.
As we can see, gambling is a very profitable business for many companies.
It is also a business which is subject to regulation… which means it is also subject to political influence.
While the British gambling industry is regulated by the Gambling Commission, which is arms length non-political body, the laws which dictates its remit and purpose are subject to political control. Such as the changes currently being brought through the 2023 White Paper.
Unfortunately, wherever politicians have a say on laws which directly impact a business sector then it is only to be expected that those with invested interest through profiting from that sector will wish to engage with politicians, seeking to ensure that what regulation does exist has minimal impact on their businesses’ ability to make money.
This is lobbying.
Part and parcel of UK politics, sadly, but something which should not have to be tolerated for business sectors where the product is known to have harmful impacts on consumers… as #gambling absolutely is known to have, with well over a million individuals, and 6 million family members, harmfully impacted each year.
In 2022 MP’s register of interest showed that gambling companies gave 36 MPs over £87,000 in free tickets and corporate entertainment.
In 2023 Scott Benton MP was caught in a sting operation, being recorded offering to table parliamentary questions and leak confidential policy papers for a fake gambling company. The year before Benton had reported receiving over £6,000 in “free” tickets to sports events.
To try and separate policy decisions on a known health causing product from direct industry influence of MPs, Dr James Close, a respected academic studying harms caused through gambling, has launched a Parliamentary Petition for debate, asking that politicians should be barred from receiving industry donations and hospitality from gambling businesses.
We are more than happy to publicise this petition and would ask that you consider signing it.