After drugs, alcohol and tobacco/vaping, it’s time to return to another vice.
“Gambling” – in the context of this post – covers higher-end, high-stakes stuff (bookmakers, casinos, online gambling) rather than the National Lottery (which has been looked at/will be looked at again separately).
I doubt many people support banning gambling altogether.
From my perspective, people can do what they want with their own money. There are measures an independent Wales could take to protect gamblers from being exploited whilst maintaining (fairly) liberal gambling laws. There are also things that are “gambling adjacent” (such as cryptocurrencies) where you can make a strong argument for them to be regulated as a form of gambling rather than a financial product.
As for where we probably wouldn’t want to make any changes:
- We would presumably keep a central gambling regulator. This needn’t be a stand-alone Gambling Commission, but could be adminsitered directly by the Welsh Government (as in Northern Ireland); either within the Communities Department or Welsh Treasury. Local councils would continue to be responsible for licensing gambling premises as they are now.
- We would likely retain the list of existing gambling activities that do or don’t require a licence. Low-prize-value fundraiser lotteries (currently defined as having a prize of under £500), raffles and “small society lotteries” shouldn’t require a gambling licence but would still need to be registered, as per current rules.
- We would presumably keep a gambling business duty to fund problem gambling programmes (once it’s been introduced at the GB level in the next few years).
- Gambling advertising – The current rules (restricted to post-watershed except during live sports programmes) are probably fine on balance. We would need to decide whether to stick with a code of conduct (as we have now) or more towards a system of gambling advertising regulation backed by the law.
As for where we might want to make changes:
- Taxes, levies & duties – We can either stick with different duties for different types of gambling, move towards a simplified system (separate duties for casinos, betting and games [including bingo and lotteries] – covering both online and offline), or some form of higher and basic rate on gambling-related gross revenues.
- Gaming machines – The current 9 categories of gambling machines could be streamlined and simplified to A-E. A-C would be restricted to over-18s on premises with a gambling licence and have stakes of £1 or more (gradually increasing with each category). D-E could be used by under-16s with adult supervision and would include “skill games”.
- Planning rules – A specific planning use category could be introduced for “gaming establishments” (casinos, bookmakers and adult gaming arcades). Currently, bookmakers are considered A2 (“financial and professional services”) while casinos fall under the broader D2 category for “assembly and leisure” (alongside the likes of cinemas and theatres). Given they have the same purpose they should arguably be treated similarly. It may also make it easier for local authorities to monitor where they are and whether they’re being over-concentrated.
- Gambling & sport – There may be an argument to ban gambling companies from being prominent on-field sponsors at sporting events in Wales (i.e. front of shirt or naming rights). Athletes at all levels could be banned from betting in person or by proxy on a competition or event they’re playing in.
