The UK Government continues to fight problem gambling. Indeed, the Government latest action, among others, include the study of gambling funded by credit cards. According to the new Sports Minister, the UK seriously need to contemplate a radical move. Indeed, the study highlighted the players’ ability to use their cards for gambling.
Fast Progress
Mims Davies is the new Minister for Sports and Civil Society. She made her remarks last week at the Gamble Aware conference in London. The main theme of the charity’s sixth annual event was the minimisation of harm caused by the industry. In general, the government is positive about the industry’s investment in the area.
Yet, there are still risks present according to Mims Davies. And the industry must mitigate these with appropriate protection. As it seems, the government wants a fast progress in this area. The main aim is to act early, and before the harm occurs.
“There are rising concerns around people casino gambling on credit cards. Also, whether we should permit this. And this is an area we are looking into in detail. We want to understand the full situation. And to consider if we need to make an action in this space,” hinted the minister.
A Possible Levy
But gambling on credit is not the only area the planned policies aim at. In fact, they consider introducing a mandatory levy for Gamble Aware funding. For now, the industry itself funds the voluntary system. But as things go, this might change soon.
“The profits of gambling operators aren’t my prime concern. Ensuring problem gamblers have access to the right treatment is,” she claimed. If you remember, Davies replaced former sports minister Tracey Crouch last month. The government has since imposed several new policies. First, the cut on largest stakes on fixed-odds betting by next April. Next, it also agreed to increase the Remote Gaming Duty earlier than planned before as we reported a couple of weeks ago.
