Member

The black market is completely unregulated. There is no maximum stake limit, and there are no financial vulnerability checks, deposit limits, prompts or transparent spending summaries. Having taken the opportunity to speak with many who have been impacted by problem gambling—in some cases, families who have been impacted in the most substantial way, as their relatives have taken their own lives—I can say that the black market is a wild west that any vulnerable person could easily be drawn into. These measures could represent a one-way ticket to that town. The Government already recognise that in their own statistics. As the Minister said, they are earmarking an additional £26 million for the Gambling Commission to investigate the issue, so clearly they recognise that it is a problem that needs to be kept an eye on.