Thank you for contacting me about online gambling.
I recognise your concerns about online gambling and I am pleased that the Government has taken decisive action in this area.
The Gambling (Licensing and Advertising Act) 2014 brought offshore online gambling operators within the scope of the Gambling Commission's regulatory regime for the first time. Since then, the Commission has introduced a number of additional licence conditions in relation to online gambling. These new requirements include providing easily accessible facilities for consumers to impose their own limits, which can include limits on deposit, spend and losses, and over different time durations.
Alongside this, a new multi-operator online self-exclusion scheme, which allows individuals to simultaneously self-exclude from all online gambling sites, is being introduced by the industry.
Ministers are continuing to work with the Gambling Commission and the industry on player protections in the online sector. The Gambling Commission has set out a plan to toughen up protections around online gambling. This includes strengthening age verification rules and bringing forward proposals to require operators to set limits on consumers' spending until affordability checks have been carried out. The Commission also wants operators to do more to identify those at risk of problem gambling, and reduce the risk of harm occurring.
I can assure you that the regulation of online gambling is kept under review and Ministers will not hesitate to take action if it is needed to protect people from gambling-related harm.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.