London punters could hand payslips to gambling watchdog – South West Londoner

Gamblers in London could be asked to show their payslips to gambling regulators to prove they can afford to bet under new government proposals.

TheUK Gambling Commissionwould like to see punters who bet and lose more than 100 a monthgo through affordability checks and be placed on a gambling register so that their outgoings can be better tracked.

Chris Philp, who took over asagambling minister in September, had outlined a series of government proposals after a landmark review of the sector.

Heindicated that a tougher regulatory environment could help to reduce industry revenues, citing it as a moral obligation to tackle gambling addictions.

Speaking at theannual conference ofGambleAware, the charitythatadministersfunding for programmes to reduce gambling addiction,Mr Philpsaid:I have heard too many stories of people who lost obviously unaffordable amounts of moneywithout proper checks being made by the gambling operators who had the data available.

I have also heard about direct marketing, offers andVIP treatmentbeing targeted at people with manifest gambling problems.

This is not how gambling should operate, and we must take decisive measures to change it.

Philp said a white paperthatoutlinedgovernment proposals,which is dueto be published early next year, could includethe affordability checks,which would stop operators intervening only when a customer had lost large sums,and it wasfar too late.

Philp continued:Demanding payslips or bank statements from every customer spending 100 is probably going to be unwelcome, disruptive and disproportionate.

But there is a level at which that is appropriate.

The measures have not been welcomed by everyone and have drawn criticism,with some punters furious about the possible intrusion.

In the future, if you wanted to bet onAFCWimbledon to win at the weekendor a victory forambitious Sutton United,you could be forced to prove you can afford to do so.

Onerecreationalgambler said:Anyone who spends anything will get logged and end up on a register.

If you lost more than100,youd have to share bank statements, so they can decide if you can afford to do it.

What next? A register of alcohol spendingto stop peoplefrombingedrinking?A shopping register to stop people overspending and getting intodebt?

Responsible gambling has become a hot topic in recentyears,andpeople are encouragedto uselicensed sites like STS Betwhen theywish toplacewagersat an online casino or bookie.

Mr Philpalsoindicated that the Gambling Commission would receive more funding to improve its regulatory capacity, which could include greater powers to requisition and analyse data in bulk from gambling companies to ensure they were not exploiting vulnerable people.

His proposals have had the backing of Andrew Rhodes, the head of the UK Gambling Commission, whosaid gaming and betting companies were still failing in their duty to protect problem gamblersand thattoo many operators are not complying with our rules.

Zoe Osmond, chief executive of GambleAware,also welcomed the proposals.

She said:We welcome the ministers announcement that the government is working with the Gambling Commission to take steps to better protect people at risk of gambling harms through affordability checks, a single customer view, and a data repository to inform intervention and uphold industry standards.

However,agovernmentinsiderhas confirmedtoThe Sunthat there are no immediate plans to createa database of every bet placed by punters.

They also said theproposalscould create a legal nightmareas they are thoughtto be in breach of data laws.

But Gaming minister, John Whittingdale,hinted at the measures last monthduringa debatein the House of Commons.

He saidduring thesession:We are looking at whether further controls for play online would be effective in preventing gambling harm, including whether greater controls are needed at an account or product level.

We are also working closely with theUK Gambling Commissionon its parallel work to improve how operators interact with customers,and we will ensure that any new checks that they introduce to increase protections for those who are financially vulnerable, binge gambling or losing significant amounts over time harmonise with the aims of our own review.

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London punters could hand payslips to gambling watchdog - South West Londoner