The Gambling Reform APPG has long advocated change in legislation, and with due respect, not necessarily aligned to how the industry sees the need for reform and modernisation. 

This week’s meeting was an invaluable exchange; there was a clearer understanding of positioning and where the lines of evidence and emotion are drawn. But it was certainly a good starting point for engagement. 

The MPs expressed their concern at AGC proliferation; we responded by advising them of the Gambling Commission statistics issued this week that AGCs have actually declined to one third of the level of 2008. 

Disappointingly, some MPs were reluctant to concede the fact – so we still have some work to do on this concept of proliferation. 

How you persuade an MP that licences, machine numbers, and the number arcades are down other than citing the official Commission and licensing authority statistics is going to be a challenge – the truth is the truth whether one likes it or not.

I would add that this point of fact is a surprise, given the APPG’s advisory group who attended the meeting actually worked for the industry for a number of years and would have been citing these statistics back then. 

Facts don’t change no matter what side of the argument you sit and I would hope that these statistics will be given more air time in the APPG’s space.

There was a sense of despair at the regulator and, of course, at some venues they were visiting. When pushed as to why the APPG representatives didn’t report the venues to the relevant authorities, their response was, surprisingly, no. 

We would clearly work with those MPs to address these kind of matters.

From the GBG’s perspective,the meeting was enlightening; the APPG members were certainly sincere in their values, but I’m hopeful we can ensure the facts are acknowledged and reported accurately as we develop our relationship with the APPG.

We clearly have a long way to go but dialogue between the industry and the APPG is the only way forward.