UK is expected to introduce new gambling laws

Ministers will consult on limiting bets on internet slot machines to £2 to £15, with a £2 cap for individuals under 25 years old, according to The Sun tabloid.

According to leaks, gaming corporations would also be subject to taxes to help pay for addiction treatment.

Gaming restrictions are handled by the Department of Culture, which declined to comment.

MPs who have been advocating for stronger gambling laws told the BBC that they expected the new levy on businesses and stake limitations to go into effect.

They added that they anticipated stricter affordability checks to make sure that the firms' customers were not gambling beyond their means.

However, it is unlikely that ministers will agree to a blanket ban on casino advertising as some protesters want.

In the next weeks, the government is expected to present new gambling legislation.

The so-called white paper was first announced in late 2020 but has since been repeatedly delayed. It represents the industry's biggest shift in more than two decades.

While Northern Ireland will have different gaming laws, Wales, Scotland, and England are expected to embrace new restrictions. The Premier League is set to come to another deal prohibiting sponsorship from appearing on the front of club shirts.

The maximum bet on fixed-odds terminals at bookies' stores was decreased from £100 to £2 in 2018.

The Sun claims that a new tax on betting companies would be levied at a rate of roughly 1% of profits and would be used to pay for addiction treatment and support programs.

Businesses now freely contribute to initiatives that investigate the harm caused by gambling and finance awareness, research, and treatment for it.

The majority of the Betting and Gaming Council's (BGC) members, who speak for the gaming industry, have donated £125 million over four years.

It recently asserted that it was "relaxed" about the introduction of a mandatory charge  and that member payments were "already on the table."

It did, however, voice concerns about levying a uniform 1% tax on all gaming businesses, arguing that doing so would be unfair to companies that run betting shops, which have higher operating costs and property taxes.

The company has been working with the authorities on issues relating to online slot machines, according to a BGC official, who also emphasized that any impending regulations should be "proportionate" and "carefully targeted."

Since the gaming industry has changed dramatically since the previous Labour administration, Sir Keir Starmer, the party's leader today, has said he would prefer tougher regulation.

He did, however, add that he would need to carefully evaluate the additional measures once they were presented.

In 2021–2022, the gambling industry produced over £10 billion in pretax revenue even without the National Lottery.

Remote betting, bingo, and casino games made up £6.4 billion of that total (mostly online).

£3.5 billion was made via non-remote betting, which includes betting at casinos, bingo halls, arcades, and betting shops.

In the fiscal year 2021–2022, the gaming industry paid £3.2 billion in taxes, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility.

It is estimated that there are between 250,000 and 460,000 problem gamblers in Great Britain.

It has raised questions about the gifts and hospitality that legislators accept on behalf of bookmakers and trade associations, and several MPs have criticized the relationship with the company as being too cozy.

The cost of sending MPs from the Conservative, Labour, and other parties to events like the Ascot races, Wimbledon, football tournaments, music concerts, and award ceremonies has cost betting companies tens of thousands of pounds over the past few years.

In a statement, the culture department said it was trying to complete the white paper's details so that gambling laws would be "fit for the digital age."

By fLEXI tEAM