On 22nd February, the drafted gambling bill is due to have its second reading in the House of the Lords. The bill, based on relaxing the gambling law by allowing more casinos to be built with machines that have unlimited stakes and prizes, has been strongly opposed by the churches and social concern groups.
While the bill moves one step closer to reaching the statute books, the Salvation Army UK and the Methodist Church of Great Britain have released a briefing paper to MPs in a bid to stop the risky agenda.
First of all, the key concern of the Salvation Army and the Methodist Church is that the government has understated the problem of increasing gambling in the UK, especially among adolescents.
As the legislation of the bill is under consideration, the Government commissioned a team from Lancaster University to produce a study of current evidence about children and gambling, but churches pointed out that the research is proved by two of UK’s leading academics as dangerously flawed.
According to the Churches, the research fails to note that around 5% of British adolescents can be classified as "problem gamblers" - more than five times the adult prevalence of problem gambling. In addition, the Churches warn that a level of 5% problem gambling represents a serious public health issue and is not something that would normally be referred to as "a small minority" in public health terms.
Currently, the gambling bill will allow machines with unlimited stakes and prizes to operate in casinos. The Churches rebuke that these machines are very likely to cause addiction compared to other ways of gambling. Therefore, the stakes and prizes should be dramatically reduced, according to the briefing paper.
Fruit-machines, regardless of size of the stakes and prizes, have the same addictive qualities as other machines, the paper stated. Research has shown that fruit-machines are one of the most addictive forms of gambling as they are interactive, allow for rapid play and encourage players to chase their losses.
The Churches condemned the Government for failing to protect children from the gambling problem. It was stated in the briefing paper, "The Government has repeatedly said that ‘children and gambling do not mix’. Yet Britain is one of the only developed countries that allows children to gamble."
The Churches suggested prohibiting children from the use of any fruit-machine. 82% of the population support this agenda, they added. In the briefing paper, the implementation of positive ID for entry of casinos was proposed by the Churches as well. This will hopefully ensure the protection of children and problem gamblers and restrict crime via money laundering.
Amid the strong voices of opposition from the Churches, the spokesman for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport said, "The Gambling Bill is currently going through its stages in parliament. We are determined that this bill will reach the statute book as soon as possible."