Gambling Law Reform Tracker

White Papers are policy documents produced by the Government that set out their detailed proposals for future reforms, providing a basis for further consultation, discussion and/or implementation.

Now the White Paper has been published, the process of implementing the Government’s various proposed reforms begins. What is striking about the White Paper is that the means by which this will be achieved varies from proposal to proposal.  Certain changes will require primary legislation, whilst others may be implemented through secondary legislation (in the form of statutory instruments). Secondary legislation is made by a person or body under authority contained in primary legislation. In this case, the Secretary of State has the power to pass secondary legislation in respect of certain matters under the Gambling Act 2005. Other measures, it is proposed, would be achieved be regulatory reform by the Gambling Commission via changes to its Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice.   And in some cases the Government is looking simply for voluntary action from the industry.

Prior to making any changes to the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice, the Gambling Commission must put forward its proposals as part of a consultation, inviting responses from stakeholders. Following this it will publish a response and implement the relevant changes. All Gambling Commission consultations can be accessed here.

The CMS team are available to answer your questions and help you navigate through the changes to the UK’s gambling regulatory landscape. Click the Contact Us box below to get in contact.