Tag Archives: dcms

DCMS’ year-long review into football has concluded announcing the headline directive  that an ‘independent regulator’ will be established to oversee and improve football’s  relationship with fans, business and local communities. Tracey Crouch served as the Minister spearheading the review – with support from an expert panel – which began last May. The review formed part of the Conservative Party’s  2019 …

The global significance of the pending outcomes of the Gambling Review were laid out by Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), to industry leaders attending the ICE 2022 World Regulatory Briefing.  Opening his address, Rhodes welcomed ICE audiences to a ‘much-changed world’, adjusting to the aftermath of the global COVID-19 pandemic and its radical change in …

MPs in the House of Commons held a two-hour debate yesterday, discussing a range of issues related to the future oversight of the UK gambling sector, with imminent reforms soon to be announced. The debate was led by long-term gambling-reformist Carolyn Harris, Labour MP for Swansea East. Proceedings were opened with Harris acknowledging the wide range of response, evidence and …

DCMS undersecretary Chris Philp has responded to questions posed by ministers in relation to the Sheffield Coroner’s verdict that ‘system failures had led to the tragic death of Jack Ritchie’. Questioned at a hearing in the Commons yesterday, initiated by Sheffield Central MP Paul Blomfield (Labour), Philp was probed on how the government intends to reform the gambling sector and …

DCMS has been warned to protect the interests of horseracing, as the department prepares to publish its forthcoming White Paper that will demand a wholesale regulatory reform of the gambling sector. This weekend, Chancellor Rishi Sunak is reported to have raised ‘specific questions’ with DCMS secretary Nadine Dorries on whether UK racing’s concerns have been weighed up by inbound reforms. …

The NHS most senior clinicians treating gambling disorders have called for the government to impose a statutory levy on gambling industry revenues to fund the health service’s research, education and treatment (RET) programmes. On Sunday, Dr Matt Gaskell, Clinical Lead of the NHS Northern Gambling Service, revealed his support of a policy directive proposed by think tank Social Market Foundation (SMF) that demands an …

Michael Dugher, Chief Executive of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has warned ministers that gambling’s complex socio dynamics can not be judged on the notion of simplistic rhetoric.  Writing on the Commons news source Politics Home, Dugher outlined stakeholder frustrations at the meandering nature of the debate on gambling reforms, industry duties and protections. His response was submitted as …

The Horseracing Betting Levy Board (HBLB) has issued a ‘going concern’ notice on the funding scheme’s ability to continue after it published a troubling set of financial results today.  This morning, HBLB declared its annual report and accounts for 2020/2021 to DCMS, revealing that betting levy receipts taken for the year ending March 2021 had fallen to £82 million (2019/2020: …

Peter Jackson, Group CEO of Flutter Entertainment Plc described 2021 results as a ‘tale of two halves” for the FTSE100 betting group’s UK&IRE brands.   Matched against COVID-influenced record wagering Q4 2020 comparatives, Jackson admitted that the group’s flagship UK&IRE business had somewhat lost its trading momentum. UK&IRE teams “saw a very material swing in sports results year-on-year. The swing from …

The Sheffield Coroner’s Court has begun its inquest into the death of Jack Ritchie (24), a ‘chronic gambling addict’ who in November 2017 took his own life.  The scheduled two-week hearing will examine the role of UK gambling in his death, with regards to industry regulation and the support structures available to those suffering from gambling addiction and mental health …