Tom Watson calls for an overhaul of online gambling laws
Tom Watson has called for a major overhaul of Britain's online gambling laws to prevent bookmakers from exploiting problem punters.
In a speech later today, the Labour deputy leader will hit out at the lack of adequate regulation for online gambling, which he says has led to “gross excesses, abuse and vulnerable problem gamblers being let down".
Building on the gambling review he published last year, Shadow Culture Secretary Mr Watson will highlight the "regulatory imbalance" which means online bettors can gamble without limits to their stakes or time restrictions.
“Problem gambling is Britain’s hidden epidemic. We should treat it as a public health emergency," he will say.
In his speech to an Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) policy seminar in London, Mr Watson will highlight the case of a gambler who spent up to £60,000 a day using stolen money and was made to sign a non-disclosure agreement with a major operator, preventing him from informing the Gambling Commission.
In another case a young man with a brain injury lost £210,000 over a four-month period gambling online. Gambling firms did nothing to limit his losses and refused to return the money he’d lost, despite being told of his injury, Mr Watson said.
Calling the 2005 Gambling Act "a piece of analogue legislation not fit for the digital age”, Mr Watson will call for time and stake limits as part of a new 'E category' to regulate online gambling.
Outlining Labour's plans, he will say: “Our current gambling laws are completely unfit for the digital age.
"The 2005 Act was written so long ago it has more mentions of the postal service than the internet. Whereas gambling in the offline world is highly regulated, the lack of controls on online gambling is leading to vulnerable consumers suffering huge losses.
“Online gambling companies have a responsibility to protect their customers from placing bets that they cannot afford.
"But too often, these operators have either neglected the care of their customers or have been too slow in their due diligence.
“We need to see a culture of limits introduced to internet gambling: a system of thresholds placed on the spend, stake and speed of online gambling that will give safeguards to consumers.
"Labour’s new policies announced today will provide a framework for both industry and the regulator to achieve that.”
The move would mark the biggest overhaul in gambling regulation since 2005, and comes following Labour's commitment to end the use of credit cards to gamble.
Tory peer Lord Chadlington is expected to back Mr Watson's call.
