Labour MP: Government must protect industry's “Great British success story”
John Spellar claims stringent measures will fuel black market and compound pressure on public finances in rallying cry for the sector
A Labour MP has called on the government to protect a “Great British success story” ahead of the release of the white paper into the Gambling Act 2005 review.
John Spellar, MP for Warley, writing for PoliticsHome at the behest of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), has implored the government to protect the industry or risk a surge in black-market activity and lost tax revenue.
Spellar said the Conservative government had shown it was “all too willing to turn its back on British business” and that “sensible” measures in the white paper would help protect the industry.
The MP said: “The government needs to ensure that any changes that it is proposing in a new gambling white paper are sensible and proportionate, not suggestions such as imposing blanket affordability checks at very low levels.
“This will only fuel the growth of the lucrative and unregulated black market […] and contributes nothing to the UK in terms of jobs, taxation or investment in the sports we all love.”
Spellar went on to link the tax derived from the industry to the ongoing financial struggles facing the government.
He continued: “At a time when the public finances are in disarray, the country cannot afford for thousands of punters to be heading offshore to the black market. Any money spent there will not contribute to the UK economy nor funding our essential public services.”
Despite Spellar’s claims of protecting a “British success story”, major players in the UK market come from all corners of the world.
Flutter Entertainment is headquartered in Dublin, although it does have a Leeds base. Entain was founded in Luxembourg and its registered office is in the Isle of Man
BetVictor, Betway, 888 and Unibet, all take a top 11 spot in terms of UK market share, according to Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, yet are not headquartered in the UK.
However, bet365 was pointed to as a shining light by the MP as the Stoke-on-Trent-based firm supports the local economy by employing around 4,500 people there, making it the largest private sector employer in the region.