UK lawmakers demand more responsibility from operators during COVID-19 shutdown

The U.K’s gambling industry has promised to not take advantage of the current COVID-19 pandemic, but lawmakers are saying their 10-point pledge doesn’t go far enough. More than 22 MPs have called for stricter measures to reduce problem gambling, calling the industry’s proposals “very weak.”

The 22 MPs, as well as two Lords and Dr Henrietta Bowden-Jones, director of the National Problem Gambling Clinic, published a letter demanding more of the industry during this time of crisis. “People are at home and are severely restricted, with access to mini-casinos on their laptops or mobile phones,” they wrote in a letter to Nigel Huddleston, the minister responsible for gambling. “We therefore have deep concerns about the ‘pledges’ which have been proposed this week by the BGC.”

The Betting & Gaming Council (BGC) offered a 10-point pledge recently, specifically promising to not take advantage of problem gambling, as the U.K. largely sits at home with nothing to do. In the letter from the MPs, they suggested these 10 points were weak, and already expected of them by current regulations.

Instead, they suggested five measures, including an end to VIP schemes, a suspension of advertising and bonus offers. They also want a limit to stakes on slot games, with a maximum of £2, and want mandatory limits on total deposits.