Methodist concerns after gambling White Paper published

Rachel Lampard, Secretary for Parliamentary and PoliticalAffairs for the Methodist Church, made the following statement onthe launch of the Government's proposals for the regulation ofgambling, 'A Safe Bet for Success', today:

Our concern about gambling is based on the fact that for somepeople gambling can be extremely harmful. The role of gamblingregulation is to minimise this harm. Our response to the proposalsis therefore mixed.

This is the first serious review for over 20 years, and gamblingpractice has changed enormously in this time. However we stronglybelieve that any deregulation has to go hand in hand with anincreased commitment to social responsibility.

Social responsibility involves the Government and the gamblingindustry taking seriously the need to tackle problem or addictivegambling. We therefore welcome the explicit commitment to socialresponsibility in the Government's proposals.

We welcome the establishment of a Single Regulator for gambling.Given the explosion in international on-line gambling, we welcomethe proposal to introduce strict regulation of British on-linegambling sites. Regulated sites will reduce the potential harm ofon-line gambling by demanding high standards and awarding "kitemarks".

We also welcome the greater restrictions to be placed onchildren's access to gaming machines. However we feel that thisshould cover all fruit machines. Children are still to be allowedaccess to certain machines, which, although they have"low-stakes/low-prizes", can still amount to significant sums ofmoney for a child. Evidence shows that the earlier that a youngperson begins gambling, the more likely they are to developproblems with gambling as young adults. The UK is the only westerncountry that allows children to gamble. Gambling should be apursuit only for adults and we are disappointed that the Governmentdoes not plan to enforce this.

We are also concerned that some of the deregulation proposed forcasinos will increase just the kind of impulsive and uncontrolledgambling that can fuel addiction, particularly if alcohol is servedat gambling tables.

We also have doubts that resort casinos will be the "goldengeese" that many people hope. Evidence from the US suggests that,far from being engines of economic regeneration, Resort Casinos cansuck income away from existing businesses. It will be important forlocal authorities to listen to the concerns and wishes of localpeople before rushing ahead.

Overall it is important that the Government proceeds withcaution. Research must be carried out into the likely impact ofderegulation and the potential dangers to vulnerable people, andthe gambling industry must show a demonstrable commitment to socialresponsibility before deregulation is authorised.