DCMS turns to Damian Collins to help with gambling reform

The abrupt departure of Gambling Minister Chris Philp made many uneasy and fearful about the future of gambling reform in the United Kingdom. With his exit, though, Philp assured that the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sporthad everything under control and that the White Paper about the Gambling Act Review was going to arrive before long.

Monday’s session promoting Damian Collins as the new Online Safety Minister dispersed some of the fears, but still gave no clarity on when the White Paper would arrive. It will be in the "coming weeks," a discussion last week confirmed.

However, Parliament is about to adjourn for the summer come July 21, which could once again throw a spanner in the works. With the window of opportunity closing quickly, lawmakers in the UK will have to jump through hoops that mostly their US counterparts have to go through, referring to the many split-second votes on passing gambling laws across the Atlantic.

Commenting on his appointment on Twitter, Collins confirmed that he would be involved in the White Paper in some capacity. The document is referred to as the Online Safety Bill by officials and it’s an ambitious and often contentious plan to re-regulate the industry in a new way that would bolster consumer protection, reduce harm and keep the industry sustainable and vibrant.

Collins also said that the Online Safety Bill will appear in Parliament before the summer recess, which is a sign that the DCMS understands very well what people fear and seeks to assuage those qualms.

However, it’s still not confirmed whether Collins will be charged with the sole responsibility of the Gambling Act Review, which is important to the point where numerous MPs have stepped down to avoid having to bear the responsibility for the document and the potential wrath it’s going to incur from fellow lawmakers and the electorate.

Debates at the House of Commons last week once again went through the gamut and pondered everything from the adequacy of the White Paper to whether it can arrive on time so that the proposed changes could be enacted in a reasonable timeline.

The White Paper was originally scheduled for spring, but it was delayed multiple times prompting anger from consumers, industry observers, and legislators. With Boris Johnson’s stepping down as Prime Minister, things aren’t looking too good either.

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