The government’s new Gambling Bill marks the biggest over hall of gambling legislation since 1968 and is set to affect every sector of the industry.
Its impact will be far reaching and in some quarters hard hitting, both in business and social terms.
The Bingo Association has questioned why the laws are being introduced in such haste.
Government Response: Department of Culture, Media and Sport
A spokesman for the DCMS said: "The reason the bill was introduced was because, as has been made clear, technology has overtaken existing laws and in the face of this, new protections are vital.
"Levels of problem gambling are low in Britain and it needs to stay that way. That's why the Bill is so important. With a powerful new Gambling Commission policing these rules we are confident the UK will become the safest gambling environment in the world.
"The bill has been through a great deal of scrutiny and has not been rushed through in haste - the Bingo Association has ignored the vast scrutiny it has gone through so far.
"Within the bill there is a great deal of provision of the bingo industry which will allow for greater flexibility in how they operate."
Party Response: Conservatives
John Whittingdale, shadow secretary of state for culture, media and sport, said: "We do think there is a need for a Gambling Bill, to update the law on gambling which is 30 years old, and particularly to include safeguards in relation to online gaming.
"However, I fully share the concern of the Bingo Association that the government has ignored much of the excellent work of the scrutiny committee. The committee was far more cautious in its approach to deregulation and, in particular, wanted to place strict limits on the proliferation of super-casinos.
"We will ensure that these problems are highlighted in the due legislative stages, and hope they will be sorted out. As the Bingo Association says, it is very important to get this legislation right."
Party Response: Liberal Democrat
Don Foster, Liberal Democrat culture, media and sport spokesman, said: "I welcome this attempt to modernise our gambling laws some 26 years after the last significant legislation but have serious concerns about some aspects.
"It contains many measures we support, such as introducing a new regulator with wider powers, such as to rescind licences and impose greater fines and has included in its remit the regulation for the first time of so-called ‘remote gambling’.
"Crucially, for the first time the problems of gambling addiction are addressed in legislation. It is not surprising that GamCare, the main body that prevents and treats problem gambling, support the modernisation of our gambling laws as soon as possible.
"However, I am not at all convinced that the government has done nearly enough to prevent the proliferation of casinos and safeguard against the threat of ‘casual’ gambling.
"We must prevent social ills, both nationally in relation to problem gambling, but also crucially, locally. We must give local people the right to determine whether they wish to have increased gambling opportunities or not.
"As drafted, the Bill does not do this. Since the government has said there will be no cap on the total number of casinos (currently 122), it’s paramount that local authorities can prevent casino developments, and regional casinos in particular, if they choose.
"The joint committee were very clear that new regional casinos should be seen as ‘destinations’ but the powers of local authorities to prevent inner-city casinos are weak. I look forward to challenging the government to clarify and strength the planning processes for casino developments."
Stakeholder Response: Bingo Association
Steve Baldwin of the Bingo Association said: "Proposals were the subject of detailed scrutiny through the joint scrutiny committee.
"However, the government has chosen to ignore several of the committee’s key recommendations, which were intended to address a number of very serious issues. This underlines the need for further scrutiny during the Bill’s progress through parliament.
"Can this genuinely be achieved if the Bill is fast tracked and what will be the consequences if it is?
"The Bingo Association supports necessary deregulation, but believes that some aspects of this Bill have not been properly thought through, with many elements of policy still unpublished.
"It is important to allow time for getting legislation right, as it is very difficult to re-regulate at a later date."
Stakeholder Response: The Salvation Army
Jonathan Lomax, public affairs officer at The Salvation Army said: "The Salvation Army is pleased with many of the new protections for children and vulnerable people that are included in the Bill. However, there is still a contradiction at the heart of the Bill.
"You simply cannot say that this Bill is solely about protection when it also enables the spread of hard forms of gambling, such as casino table games and high-value fruit machines, across the UK.
"There are currently 350,000 problem gamblers in the UK at the moment and some reports say that that figure could double after the new laws are enacted.
"There is no public demand for the deregulatory measures. An NOP poll commissioned by The Salvation Army found that 93 per cent of the population thought that there were already enough opportunities to gamble in the UK.
"The only people who are pushing for many of the measures in the Bill are the gambling industry, who will be the big winners. The big losers will be the vulnerable people whose lives are ruined by gambling addiction."
