UK trade body chief proposes review meeting

John White, chief executive of UK gambling trade association Bacta, has invited new DCMS boss Liz Frazer to meet to discuss the country’s gambling review.

Frazer is the new Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which controls gambling in the UK.

In a letter to her, White wrote: “We enjoyed a positive working relationship with your predecessor, Michelle Donelan MP, and her colleague the former Gambling Minister Paul Scully MP.

“We hope to enjoy a similarly constructive relationship with your new team and look forward to working with you to deliver the reform and modernisation that the gambling sector greatly needs.

“As you know, the gambling review is one of the major items taken forward by successive administrations and under a number of Secretaries of State and Gambling Ministers.

“Though this delay has been a frustration felt by many in the industry, it is vital that reform remains on the agenda to ensure that the regulatory framework for gambling is one which reflects the modern and rapidly changing nature of the industry, while continuing to ensure the highest level of player protections.

“The result must be a system which delivers the most socially responsible products, provides the Gambling Commission with the powers it needs and is fit for purpose in the 21st century.

“We are already in regular contact with officials within the department, including colleague Sarah Fox, who we spoke to at a meeting alongside Minister Scully a few weeks ago.

“We were encouraged by the Minister’s comments during this meeting, with the noises suggesting that the publication of the review was finally imminent.

“Conscious that the latest reshuffle may result in the white paper being pushed back again, we would be incredibly grateful to meet with you to discuss how we can work together to ensure the review is published in a timely manner and in a way which brings the land-based sector along with it.”