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Gambling Act (On-course Bookmakers)

I did not intend to speak today, but I want to make two points. Before doing so, I congratulate the hon. Member for Livingston (Mr. Devine) on obtaining the debate and the Minister, who is an old football partner of mine, on his new position. I feel a lot more confident now that he is here and I hope that that will be borne out. I am no lover of the NJPC, which has been a shambles since the day it was set up. It has been badly run and it is partly to blame for what has happened. It should have seen what was coming, but it failed to do so. Its whole purpose is to represent the bookmakers, but it has failed to do so. I want to raise two points that have not been mentioned. One is that race course owners embarked on the process that we are discussing some time ago, and that should have been spotted. Some were placing pitches well away from the main stand as a way of devaluing their ability to trade; indeed, on one or two occasions, pitches were placed by the car park. The attempts by the RCA and race course owners to devalue what pitch owners are doing is therefore historical, and the Minister must look at that. As the hon. Member for Rhondda (Chris Bryant) said, pitch owners have purchased a position. Their problem, however, is that it is more like a flying freehold because there is nothing underneath it. All that they have purchased is the right to trade in a position, but the race courses can place that position anywhere they like, which devalues it. That must be borne in mind. My other point is that seeking the highest bidder opens the industry up to corruption. There is a huge amount of money swashing around in eastern Europe, and people want to launder lots of it. There are lots of stories suggesting that it is possible to launder money through British race courses. I warn the Minister right now that we will be on the edge of a really serious process of corruption if we do not watch it. One of the guardians of the industry is the little bookmaker who, by his very size, is not open to such corruption. It is worth carefully looking at the issue, because the race courses may not be bothered with it. To conclude, I simply line up with everybody else in saying that the sad thing is that the people who should have been represented have not been. We are talking about the small people—the small business men—and if there is one thing that any Government should do, it is to stand on the side of the small people.