UK MPs grow impatient over delayed White Paper reform

Garance Limouzy September 11, 2024

In the UK, a group of nine Members of Parliament is urging the government to White Paper. At the beginning of September, six MPs submitted an Early Day Motion () to draw attention to the urgent need for gambling reform in the UK. The EDM states: “ That this House notes with concern that the most recent regulations on gambling are from the Gambling Act 2005; considers the need for further affordability checks, levies, and advertising limits following the rise of online gambling since 2005; and calls on the Government to act swiftly to implement the recommendations of the Gambling Reform White Paper 2023.” Of the six MPs who initially submitted the EDM, three represent the Labour Party, one belongs to the Green Party, one is from the Democratic Unionist Party, and one is an Independent. Following the submission, three additional MPs signed on in support of the motion, two of whom are Independents and one from the Green Party. Kate Osborne (pictured above), one of the Labour MPs who signed the EMD motivated her decision stating: “We need further affordability checks to ensure none can gamble more than their means allow”. EDMs are submitted for debate in the House of Commons, but with no specific time allocated for discussion, few are ever debated. Instead, their primary function is now to draw public and media attention to particular issues. As EDMs remain open for sponsorship, they also serve as a gauge of parliamentary support. Most EDMs attract only a handful of signatures, as is the case with this one.

I've added my name to a motion calling for the recommendations from the 2023 Gambling Reform White Paper to be implemented.

We need further affordability checks to ensure noone can gamble more than their means allow.
— Kate Osborne (@KateOsborneMP)

White Paper

The White Paper, “High Stakes: Gambling Reform for the Digital Age,” was published in 2023 under the Sunak Conservative government. However, the recently elected Labour Party has expressed willingness to continue this legislative process, with the support of industry stakeholders.

At the time, Lucy Frazer, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, introduced the White Paper with the following statement: “The gambling landscape has changed significantly since 2005. Few who were designing policy in the early 2000s could have foreseen the nature and extent of the changes which have since reshaped our society, the economy, and this sector. At the heart of our review is ensuring that we have the balance right between consumer freedoms and choice on one hand, and protection from harm on the other. Millions of us enjoy gambling every year and most suffer no ill effects, so state intervention must be targeted to prevent addictive and harmful gambling. Adults who choose to spend their money on gambling are free to do so, and we should not inhibit the development of a sustainable and properly regulated industry that pays taxes and provides employment to service that demand. What we will not permit is for operators to place commercial objectives ahead of customer well-being, so that vulnerable people are exploited. This White Paper outlines a comprehensive package of new measures to achieve these objectives across all facets of gambling regulation.”