Lucy Frazer MP just became the new Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The Standards body the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), supported her, giving her a warm welcome. Michael Dugher, a chief executive of BGC, welcomed her as well.
Regarding old appointments, Julia Lopez MP and Stuart Andrew MP will continue working as ministers.
A white paper is a priority:
One of the first Frazer’s duties will be to publish the Gambling White Paper. After that, she’ll continue to lead about 110,000 people who work in the industry and keep growing the engagement in the Department.
Michael Dugher said: “On behalf of the 110,000 people whose jobs rely on our members – we would like to warmly welcome Lucy on her new appointment. I know she is someone who is liked and respected across Parliament, and her appointment comes at a critical time for our industry. From high streets to hospitality, from tourism to tech, our members generate £4.2bn in taxes for the Treasury and contribute £7.1bn to the economy in gross value added.”
He added that many issues still need to be addressed, but the reforms need to be published as soon as possible. Dugher hopes that Frazer will take care of low level “affordability” checks which lead people to enter the online black market rather than the regulated betting and gaming sites. The UK economy is still recovering from the recent crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, so the strong gambling and betting market plays a significant role in the country’s recovering economy.
Big changes are expected, and everyone wants to go towards increasing the safety of betting and gambling in the country. The majority of gamblers are gambling responsibly, but there is a minority who need an education about the matter.
The Department already addressed the ombudsman, who they hope will help improve the customer experience and collaborate with ministers. The Government will do everything to provide gamblers with a secure gambling experience and publish the white paper in a record amount of time.
The way towards safe and responsible gambling:
The UK gambling and betting industry is very strong – about 22.5 million adults across the country place a bet every month. They have various interests, including lottery, bingo, gambling in land-based and online casinos, and sports betting.
However, the independent regulator claimed that gambling rates in the UK are lower than expected. Gambling Commission announced a report that claims that 0.3 percent of adults in the country have a problem with extensive gambling.
The Betting and Gaming Council represents most of the regulated gambling and betting industry. It was founded in 2019, and since then, the main mission has been to create a culture where gambling is safe and responsible while keeping up with world-class standards.
