When the 2005 Gambling Act came into effect it liberalised commercial gambling, and since then concerns about the harms caused by gambling have increased.
Following a review of the Gambling Act, last year the UK Government last year published its White paper, High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age. This set out changes the government is planning to make to update laws and regulations to try and tackle harmful gambling, particularly online gambling.
However, Dr Joht Singh Chandan, Clinical Associate Professor in Public Health and Kate Bedford, Professor of Law and Political Economy, both from the University of Birmingham, have said that these proposals do not go far enough in a letter published in the Lancet today (28 March).
The new grant we have received from NIHR will help us explore the harm to public health caused by gambling, identify which groups of the population need the greatest support and how to implement legal and population-based interventions, creating a firm foundation for policy changes.
Dr Joht Singh Chandan, University of Birmingham
The letter comes as Dr Chandan, Professor Bedford and colleagues at the University of Birmingham have received over £1.1 million from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to research equitable public health approaches to reducing gambling harm. The Birmingham team will be supported by colleagues at the University of Exeter and Community Connexions, an organisation dedicated to advocating for the voice of underserved communities.
Dr Chandan said: “We welcome the publication of the government's White paper as it exemplifies that we are now viewing gambling problems and addiction as a public health issue, which is a great move forward. However, a lot of the recommendations do not go far enough to address the harms associated with gambling, particularly in the age of addictive online gambling games.
“The new grant we have received from NIHR will help us explore the harm to public health caused by gambling, identify which groups of the population need the greatest support and how to implement legal and population-based interventions, creating a firm foundation for policy changes.”
In the Lancet letter, Dr Chandan and Professor Bedford argue that the government is moving away from reform in key areas of gambling legislation, such as not recommending tougher rules on loot boxes in video games which are accessible to children and young people, and the proposal to liberalise rules on real-world gambling machines in casinos and bingo halls. This, the researchers argue, is the exact opposite of what many public health advocates have demanded.
As well as this, the letter argues that too much faith is placed in consumer-surveillance technologies to identify gambling harm.
Professor Bedford explained: “The argument is that this technology will allow online gambling operators to recognise when customers are engaging in harmful gambling. This faith in the technology means that operators can argue for reduced restrictions on their products. The ease of data collection and sharing has led many to argue that online gambling is safer for consumers than retail gambling and that player-tracking technologies should be applied to all gambling.
“Even though there are higher rates of harmful gambling online than in retail play, the White paper consulted on a stake limit of up to £15 for online slots, far higher than the £2 limit for most in-premises machines. The government have subsequently announced that a £5 maximum stake will be introduced on online slots, with a lower (£2) level for 18–24-year-olds. The £5 limit is substantially higher than the majority of respondents to the consultation wanted. The government have justified the higher limit, in part, by the fact that data about online gambling will detect harm – but we don’t know enough about to be confident about those systems working well for public health.”
Although the White paper claims to be trying to tackle health inequalities by focussing on socially disadvantaged groups, it is clear that more consideration informed by robust research is needed. Our new funding award will allow us to share a better understanding of how gambling affects the health outcomes of these, often vulnerable, people so that we can deploy laws and regulations to effectively reduce these risks.
Professor Kate Bedford, University of Birmingham
The researchers also raise the question of the equity of the recommendations from the White paper. If the suggestions are implemented in full then online gambling operators will be able to investigate customer’s finances in the form of affordability checks at specific loss thresholds, through credit agencies, banks, and open-source data such as average income by postcode.
Professor Bedford explained: “This approach raises concerns around privacy and equity effects. As important as it is to address public health challenges and health inequality, it is also equally as important to ensure that the methods of doing so are ethical and just.
“Although the White paper claims to be trying to tackle health inequalities by focussing on socially disadvantaged groups, it is clear that more consideration informed by robust research is needed. Our new funding award will allow us to share a better understanding of how gambling affects the health outcomes of these, often vulnerable, people so that we can deploy laws and regulations to effectively reduce these risks.”
