The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has congratulated Thangam Debbonaire MP on her appointment of Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The BGC has also congratulated Stephanie Peacock MP on becoming Shadow Minister for Sport, Gambling and Media.
The Gambling White Paper clarified that more financial risk background checks must be done on bettors; but the BGC – although it agrees – has called for the checks to be ‘frictionless’. The BGC has been working closely with senior leadership in horseracing, who share fears that intrusive financial checks could damage the sport by interfering with the vast majority of bettors who bet safely and responsibly.
The employment of Debbonaire and Peacock to the Cabinet is with regards to continuing progress on safer gambling.
By international standards, problem gambling rates in the UK are low according to the independent regulator. The latest figures from the Gambling Commission revealed that only 0.3% of the adult population are in fact problem gamblers.
BGC CEO Michael Dugher said: “We would like to warmly welcome Thangam and Steph on their new appointments at this crucial time for our sector.
“Our members play a vital role supporting hard-pressed high streets through betting shops, as well as the hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors through casinos and bingo, while our world-leading British tech companies are employing thousands of people in high-skilled jobs in online betting and gaming, demonstrating that these UK operators are true global leaders.
“We want to play our part in supporting the economy and the public finances, as well as ensuring that our industry can continue to support many of the nations’ favourite sports including football, horse racing, rugby, cricket, darts, boxing and snooker.”
