The United Kingdom Government's review of the gambling industry will likely be postponed until May 2022, according to a report from Guardian.
Government Reshuffling Likely Cause of Delay
The proposal to run a massive reform of the UK's gambling laws were launched in December 2020 at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport's initiative, spurred by concerns about gambling addiction and children's exposure to gambling via advertising and sponsorship.
Due to a recent reshuffle in the UK government, the review of gambling laws will probably be postponed until May 2022, according to media reports.
Initially, a White Paper was supposed to be published before the end of 2021 but was pushed back to early 2022, amid a cabinet reshuffle and Chris Philp's replacing of John Whittingdale as Gambling Minister.
Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Gambling Related Harm Carolyn Harris commented on the report and explained that the ongoing situation in the government has a substantial impact on the review.
"Of course, time must be taken to gather the evidence to ensure the right reforms are put in place, but the gambling review was announced over two years ago," Harris stressed.
"Every day of delay leads to further gambling-related harm while the industry rakes in profits," Harris pointed out. "The government must not let its own internal problems stand in the way of much-needed reforms for this country – it is time for action," she said.
Meanwhile, Liz Ritchie, Co-Founder of the charity Gambling With Lives, highlighted the urgency, saying that the White Paper should be published as early as possible.
"Someone takes their life every day in the UK because of gambling, so we simply cannot wait until May to see this white paper," Ritchie noted. "How many more families need to be shattered by highly addictive gambling products and predatory gambling industry practices before the government acts?" she asked.
