BGC chief calls on white paper to target problem gamblers and not impact everyone

Betting and Gaming Council (BCG) CEO Michael Dugher has stated that an overly heavy-handed white paper into the Gambling Act 2005 review will push customers towards the black market.

Speaking to The Times, Dugher has spoken about how the government should approach the Gambling Act 2005 review and that it shouldn’t bow to the pressures of anti-gambling groups.

Dugher said: “There are people who just don’t like gambling, who are anti-gambling, who are prohibitionist, whose default position is just to want to ban stuff. What they really want to do is treat gambling like tobacco because they think it is intrinsically and universally harmful to all rather than being more akin to alcohol, which is something that millions of people do, mostly without any problem. Their view is that gambling is intrinsically dangerous and therefore you need these arbitrary, blanket limits imposed across every punter.”

The government has already introduced blanket limits such as reducing the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals in 2019. The limit was brought down from £100 to £2, which led to the closure of many retail premises due to firms not finding certain shops viable.

Many in the industry fear the white paper may contain similar limits as the UK government looks to bring down the current problem gambling figure of 0.3%.

Dugher proposed his suggestions as to how the government can reduce this figure.

He said: “My view on helping the 0.3% is to concentrate on the 0.3%. You don’t help the 0.3% by bothering the 99.7%.

“It seems fairly obvious that government should be using technology to focus on the 0.3%. Online, in particular, you can do that because you can identify through the technology what the operators call these so-called markers of harm, such as when a punter suddenly starts gambling more than they usually do or betting at unusual times of the day.

“So they can target problem gamblers and those who are most vulnerable and leave everybody else alone,” Dugher added.

The BGC chief also said affordability checks would drive punters to the black market.

He said: “It’s easy, you can get on to the black market in a couple of minutes on your mobile phone.”

Dugher referenced a poll that found 70% of the public who placed a bet said they would be unwilling to be subjected to compulsory affordability checks.

Dugher continued: “The key is it’s got to be genuinely non-intrusive. The moment you ask for documents – bank statements, payslips – overwhelmingly they desert you and never come back. And anyone with a mobile phone can access an unregulated, unlicensed website that’ll take their money and won’t be bothering with safer gambling messages or asking them whether they’re 18 or any of that stuff.”

This comes as Gambling Minister Paul Scully has stated that the white paper is due to be published in the next few weeks and that the issue of problem gambling in England is a key focus of the review.