Baroness Twycross (Lab)

I can confirm that. I have lots of inserts in my brief, so I will get to other points later in my response. The levy will be charged in a way that recognises the higher levels of harm associated with some online products, which a number of noble Lords noted, and the higher operating costs in the land-based sector. This will guarantee that all operators pay their fair share, while ensuring that any impacts are proportionate. Working in partnership with the appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales, and the third sector, we are entering a new phase in the Government’s efforts to tackle and treat gambling harms. We will closely monitor the impact our approach is having on the ground, with a DCMS-led levy board maintaining clear oversight of the system. We will also conduct a formal review within five years and take action as needed. I am happy to set up a briefing meeting with interested noble Lords to go through the more technical aspects of the levy process and how the Government’s oversight of it will work in practice. I turn now to the wide range of questions and points raised in what was an interesting debate, starting with the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Browne of Belmont, that the £100 million that will be raised by the new statutory levy will not be enough. I note that we are nearly doubling the level of funding in the system. We will monitor the impacts of the levy and formally review the system within five years, including levy rates. Any change would be subject to full consultation, and we would need to be led by the evidence. Although it has been welcome that operators have voluntarily contributed to the current levy, it is no longer fit for purpose and the Government���s priority is to ensure sufficient long-term funding for research, prevention and treatment to tackle gambling harm, in line with our manifesto commitment. This is part of a suite of protections that we and the Gambling Commission are introducing to prevent harm before it occurs. On the Government’s timing of the levy, the noble Lord, Lord Foster, mentioned the need for charities to have some certainty over funding. I am grateful for the significant uplift in funding of research, prevention and treatment that the industry has provided in recent years. Without this support, it is unlikely that the expansion of treatment services would have been possible up to the point of getting the statutory levy. We have received a commitment from the Betting and Gaming Council that its financial contributions will continue until the levy is in force. Operators should make their final contributions to charities as soon as possible to maximise the time ahead of their first levy payments. We have received reassurances on that point. I strongly agree with my noble friend Lady Armstrong that the work carried out by GambleAware, not least on stigma, is hugely valuable. My officials and I met GambleAware yesterday, and we will support it through a safe and smooth transition. It is a real priority for me that the right services in the current system are maintained for the future; we do not want to see a cliff edge where, with good intentions, we cause unintended harm. I will write to Minister Dalton, as she starts her new role, to set out my priorities to see a smooth transition for OHID and to engage with all key stakeholders. We are keen to make sure that operators maintain their level of contributions to networks such as the National Gambling Support Network to ensure that they have the funding they need. As I mentioned, we have received reassurances from the industry that funding for services will be maintained in the transition. Points on stake limits were raised by the noble Lords, Lord Hay of Ballyore and Lord Foster, among others. I appreciate that there are concerns that the £5 stake limit is higher than the £2 fixed-odds betting terminal limit, but a £5 limit brings online slot machines in line with their closest land-based machine counterparts. We believe that a higher limit is justified online by the extra protections afforded by account-based online play, such as monitoring data for signs of harm, safer game design and checks for financial risk. The right reverend Prelate and the noble Lords, Lord Hay and Lord Foster, asked how we decided where the stake limit should be set—why £5? In our view, a £5 stake limit will protect those most vulnerable to serious harm while balancing the impact that this measure will have on the industry. Primarily, we considered consultation responses, expert evidence and harms data related to each of the staking levels and determined that the £5 limit targets those customers most at risk of harm. I note that the average stake on online slots is 60p. The noble Lord, Lord Foster, quoted Minister Peacock in the debate in the other place. The evidence shows that people staking high amounts are more likely to experience gambling harm. The £5 stake limit is a targeted intervention to protect those most at risk. These stake limits build on other rules introduced by the Gambling Commission in 2021 that make online slots safer to play. Those requirements slowed the speed of play to a minimum of 2.5 seconds per spin. A raft of rules will reduce play intensity, including a ban on autoplay features, as well as features which speed up the display of results or which can give the illusion of control, such as turbo or slam stops. The evidence shows that these features increase the risk of harm to customers. The noble Lord, Lord Kirkhope, asked about R&D funding from the levy. Research, prevention and treatment are the key areas where we think investment is most needed to reduce gambling harms. We will monitor the impact that levy funding is having on the ground and will step in as needed. As I mentioned previously, we will formally review the levy within five years. The right reverend Prelate the Bishop of St Albans and the noble Lord, Lord Browne of Belmont, mentioned gambling-related suicide. I am aware of the truly devastating impact that harmful gambling can have, including contributing to suicide. I have visited the National Gambling Clinic and seen at first hand the excellent work the service provides for those in acute need. We are committed to working cross-government on this issue, including with the Department of Health and Social Care on its suicide prevention strategy. Statistics around things as complex as suicide should be used carefully, and we will continue to work with the Gambling Commission to develop the evidence base on gambling-related suicide, which will be important going forward. The noble Lord, Lord Browne, referenced the statistics in the Gambling Survey for Great Britain. Although the harm statistics seen in the gambling survey are higher than previous statistics from health surveys, this does not necessarily represent an increase in problem gambling, as the two surveys have different methodologies and the results cannot be compared like for like. The Government are committed to ensuring that the potential harm that can ensue from gambling is limited, and we are strengthening protections for those at risk. However, we need to make sure that when we are comparing statistics, we use them carefully, and I am keen that as part of the investment in research, we have a really strong evidence base going forward. On advertising, which the noble Lords, Lord Kirkhope and Lord Foster, and the right reverend Prelate raised, the Gambling Commission is introducing new requirements for operators to allow customers to have greater control over the direct marketing they receive and has consulted on measures to ensure that incentives such as free bets are constructed in a safety-responsible manner. There is work ongoing with the DHSE and the Gambling Commission to develop a new evidence-based model for independently developed messages to increase awareness of gambling harms, replacing industry ownership of safer gambling messaging. However, I am clear that standards can be raised and, as I set out at the GambleAware conference on 4 December last year, more needs to be done to improve the protections. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to further raise standards to ensure that the levels of gambling advertising and sponsorship do not exacerbate harm, and that work will be monitored closely. My noble friend Lord Watts asked about offshore or illegal gambling. The Gambling Commission is committed to preventing illegal gambling in all its forms. Its latest corporate strategy commits to increasing investment and resources to tackle illegal gambling. The noble Lord, Lord Browne, asked about Northern Ireland. We recognise our shared interest in a commitment to the reduction of gambling harm. Gambling regulation is, as the noble Lord noted, devolved in Northern Ireland, where it falls under separate legislation. Unlike Great Britain, Northern Ireland does not have an independent gambling regulator, and we stand ready to support the Northern Ireland Executive in plans to reform regulation in this space. The right reverend Prelate the Bishop of St Albans and a number of other noble Lords asked when we would review the levy. We recognise that the levy represents a significant change for the sector. We will monitor the levy system closely to ensure its effectiveness and to ensure that it delivers on our objectives. Although we will formally review the levy within five years, we will closely consider any necessary changes earlier, including revised regulations to change levy rates. The noble Lord, Lord Foster, queried how the Government can see this as part of growth alongside the commitment to tackle gambling harm. I appreciate that the noble Lord is unlikely to agree with me on this point but I believe it is possible to have an industry that is both growing and becoming safer for consumers. I want to see a safer, more responsible gambling industry and a sector we can be proud of—which offers good jobs, brings social value and which people enjoy—alongside making sure that we do whatever we can to reduce gambling harm in all its forms, both for people experiencing gambling harm themselves and their families and the wider community. In conclusion, I am really grateful to all noble Lords who have contributed today. I am always happy to meet—I know that I owe the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of St Albans a meeting—but I have spoken to a number of noble Lords present today about this issue. I am grateful to noble Lords for everything they are doing to raise issues in this area, and I beg to move.