MPs in the United Kingdom are urging online gambling firms to set a temporary cap on all bets to £50 per day. They hope this measure would limit the risk of bettors who have little else to do.

With major sporting events, such as the Premier League and Grand National, suspended at the moment, many gambling companies are promoting international and obscure sporting events, computer-generated “virtual” sports, and online casino games. A senior manager at William Hill sent an internal email advising staff to “talk to your customers about what other things they can bet on – table tennis and Japanese baseball are proving very popular.”

32Red has been encouraging customers to participate more in their online casino games. Betway and MansionBet have been promoting “virtual” events on Google, where customers can place wagers on computer-generated football matches.

This is causing concern with lawmakers. MPS of a cross-party group have expressed their concern to the Betting & Gaming Council (BGC) about the impact that these kinds of gambling offers may have. Labour’s Carolyn Harris, the Conservatives’ Iain Duncan Smith and SNP MP Ronnie Cowan explained in the statement, “We are deeply concerned that as we go deeper into this crisis, more and more people will turn to online gambling as a distraction.”