MP John Spellar has warned of the consequences of overly strict gambling laws ahead of the new UK Gambling Law White Paper. According to MPs, the government must prevent gambling operators from fleeing to other countries and consumers switching to illegal offers.
British Labour MP John Spellar warned in a column about the consequences of overly strict gambling laws. MPs fear that British gamblers will shun illegal offers if the new UK gambling laws become too strict. This will affect the taxation of (online) gambling, but also employment, which in some cities relies heavily on gambling businesses.
Gambling industry worth £7 billion
The white paper for proposed changes to the UK gambling law was due to be released six months ago, but was delayed by the resignation of then prime minister Boris Johnson.
In his column, Spellar points out the value of the gaming industry to the UK. The games industry brings more than £7.1 billion to the UK every year. Overly restrictive laws could affect the state’s revenue from the gaming market.
Of the £7 billion brought to HM Treasury, £4.2 billion came from gambling royalties. The rest of the value was generated by taxes on the earnings of those working in the gambling industry, which created about 110,000 jobs, according to the MP.
