Industry must act to detoxify image, says Gambling Commission director

The gambling industry must act now if it is to convince the British public and politicians it takes social responsibility seriously, with a failure to act likely to lead to the imposition of tighter regulation and greater restrictions, Gambling Commission director Matthew Hill (pictured) has said.

In a speech made earlier this month, and published in full by the regulator yesterday, Hill said industry needed to step up efforts to ensure customers were protected from harm if it was to improve its public standing and maintain a “social licence to trade”.

Citing concerns over increased TV advertising, the furore around FOBTs, and what he described as a “ubiquitous” high-street presence, Hill said the environment around the gambling industry right now was “as toxic as it has ever been”.

“Some may argue that we are approaching something of a tipping point in terms of public tolerance for gambling,” Hill said. “The calls for greater prescription and just simply for ‘something’ to be done are growing,” he added.

Hill recognised the British industry was “starting to wake up” to the consumer protection challenge and applauded recent efforts such as the establishment of the self-regulatory Senet Group and the development of data-driven problem gambling detection tools by a number of operators.

“While there has certainly been a step change in the industry’s willingness to accept and discuss the issues, translating that into effective action to address harm remains a serious challenge,” he said.

According to Hill a failure to act would only lead to tighter regulation and legislation and subsequently constraints placed on the ability for operators to innovate and offer consumers quality products.

Alternatively, industry could take public concern “seriously” and respond to it by devising and testing practical measures to reduce harm – an option which he said would lead to a “sunnier place”.

In making his argument, Hill made clear the Commission saw “nothing wrong in a successful gambling industry” so long as it was built upon a base of “healthy gamblers” making informed choices.

“If that success comes from people who cannot control their gambling, people who have been misled or ripped off, or from operators not being sufficiently curious about the proceeds of crime, the gambling industry will continue to struggle to convince the public that it can be trusted on consumer protection.”

Hill also highlighted the “important economic role” industry played in providing leisure products but said there was a danger of this fact being lost in the public debate due to its “unpopular” image.