A group of politicians have formed The Gambling Related Harm All Party Parliamentary Group (GRHAPPG) to battle the country’s gambling crisis.
A 50-strong group of parliamentarians have ditched party politics as they call for online gambling player protection. The committee is chaired by Labour’s Carolyn Harris and was formed in 2018 to initially campaign about the dangers of fixed-odd betting terminals.
The group’s original aim was to get a terminal’s £100 a spin down to £2 a spin. The committee’s Vice Chair member and Scottish National Party MP, Ronnie Cowan, said: “People were losing ridiculous amounts in just one spin so it was causing all levels of issues to society”.
He added: “Through a successful campaign we brought the industry kicking and screaming as they didn’t want to do this.
“Even on the day they were ducking and diving trying to change things, but we got it through."
After witnessing how detrimental gambling can be the committee is now calling for a new Gambling Act fit for a digital age, a ban on inducements, such as VIP rooms, a ban on all advertising and much more.
“There is an analog legislation for a digital society, so it needs sorting out,” said Ronnie Cowan.
The final report of the group’s inquiry into online gambling harm can be found here.
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