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Written question asked by Lord Chadlington (Conservative) on Monday, 4 June 2018, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 18 June 2018. It was answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde (Conservative) on Friday, 15 June 2018 on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Gambling

Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for gambling operators being required to disclose the amount they donate to GambleAware; and how many operators meet the voluntary target of 0.1 per cent of annual Gross Gambling Yield.

Answer

We considered research, education and treatment as part of our Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility. The response was published on 17 May. The review looked at protections across the gambling industry and support for those who experience harm, including the arrangements for funding.

The Gambling Commission requires all operators licensed under the Gambling Act 2005 to make a contribution towards the research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harm. It does not specify how much this should be, nor which organisations should be supported, but most operators fulfil this obligation by making a contribution to GambleAware, which currently asks operators to donate 0.1% of their Gross Gambling Yield (GGY). GambleAware received £9.4m in the year 2017/18. Industry also made donations to other bodies supporting research, education and treatment, bringing collective contributions to above 0.1% of its GGY.

The government does not hold information on how much each operator donates. The Gambling Commission has committed to do more to enhance the visibility and transparency of details of industry contributions, either by operator or sector. In addition, GambleAware has announced that it plans to publish details of operator contributions on its website on a quarterly basis, and will ask operators to voluntarily self-certify whether these donations amount to at least 0.1% of GGY.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL8263
Session
2017-19
Subjects
Disclosure of information Finance Gambling GambleAware
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk