A review of UK gambling laws is set to take place with the intention of protecting children and vulnerable people in the age of online gambling. The review will assess whether current gambling laws are fit for the age of smart phone and in-play betting, and to ensure that the National Lottery ‘is not a gateway to problem gambling’.
Along with the release of the review, the government have announced that the minimum age to play the National Lottery will be raised from 16 to 18 to protect young people from gambling related harm. This change is set to take place from October 2021. Before this happens, online Sales to 16 and 17-year-olds will stop in April 2021. Under the current law, children over the age of 16 are able to purchase scratch cards from shops, and can spend up to £350 a week gambling on fixed odds games online.
Following the review, betting firms could also be prohibited from sponsoring football shirts. The review will also consider protection for online gamblers, such as stake and spend limits and advertising. The findings from the review will be used to inform changes to the Gambling Act 2005.
Many are hoping this review will lead to some well needed changes to gambling laws and overall reduce gambling-related harms. For more information about gambling we have free to download resources available on our website. You can also read our related blog post: Football’s Gambling Pandemic: How our Hobbies can Feed our Addictions.