As a member of the Public Accounts Committee, James this week led the questioning by MPs at a virtual hearing into "Gambling Regulation: Problem Gamblers and protecting vulnerable people".
Appearing before the Committee, were Neil McArthur, Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission, and Sarah Healey, Permanent Secretary of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport.
Gambling in Britain is regulated by the Gambling Commission with the aim to “ensure gambling is fair and safe”. It is funded by licence fees from industry, which amounted to £19 million in the same period. Overall responsibility for the policy and regulatory framework lies the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), which has an objective to ensure gambling is socially responsible.
During the session, James raised the case of a constituent who was a problem gambler and concerns about gaps in the regulatory system that mean individuals cannot get redress for any breaches of the Social Responsibility code obligations which licensed gambling operators must follow. James said:
"It seems to me that the deck is completely stacked against the individual here in favour of betting companies and gambling companies, which are not held to account against individual action. At the heart of protecting problem gamblers is identifying customers who may be at risk of experiencing harm. My individual constituent cannot get any redress other than taking legal action. No one is holding the company to account for that."
Excluding the National Lottery, gambling operators earned £11.3bn in 2018-19. There are an estimated 395,000 problem gamblers in Great Britain, with 1.8 million more gamblers at risk who may also be experiencing harm.
The full evidence session can be watched here.
Full transcript of evidence is available here.
If you need help or support then please call the 24/7 National Gambling helpline on 0808 8020 133.
