The continued references to flawed and/or biased research by those in Westminster means that not only is our industry being undermined, there is now going to be a £30m campaign to amplify this bias

We expressed concerns in our consultation response about the impact that a 0.4 percen rate will have on Casinos, LBOs and the high streets in general. Unfortunately, these concerns are now much worse when they come in addition to the employment cost hike in the recent budget.

It’s disappointing to see that the DCMS are quoting OHID report and Gambling Commission’s GSGB prevalence research as ‘evidence’ when they have both been proven to be (at best) unreliable.

The proposed £30m a year to be spent on ‘public health awareness campaigns’ is going to be a cause for concern and whilst we acknowledge the importance of safer/responsible gambling messaging we have never agreed that gambling is a public health issue as (unlike alcohol & junk food) gambling only adversely affects a tiny proportion of the population. 

However, the continued references to (proven) flawed and/or biased research by those in Westminster means that not only is our industry being undermined, there is now going to be a £30m campaign to amplify this bias.   

We would be interested to hear members views on what approach we should be taking in the consultation process on the details of the Levy.