© Paul Ellis / AFP via Getty Images Online betting.jpg

Ministers will propose changes to the UK’s gambling laws in a white paper expected to be published today (April 27).

A review of the current rules was announced in 2020 following a number of incidents, but its publication has been delayed.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer will outline the proposals in Parliament later today.

Ms Frazer wrote in the Times that modern technology means “there’s a Las Vegas on every phone” and that people have “round-the-clock access to betting“.

She said the Government’s plans will “protect the most vulnerable, but not get in the way of the majority of people who want to have a flutter”.

What are the new gambling laws?

The proposals are expected to include a one per cent mandatory levy on industry revenues, which would be used to fund addiction research and treatment.

Online slot machine stakes could be limited to between £2 and £15, and people under 25 could be restricted to £2 bets.

Measures could be introduced to slow down online casino games and the Government is expected to launch safer gambling campaigns, working with the Department of Health.

The Government may also introduce curbs on marketing.

Gamblers may have to undergo affordability checks. An early draft of the white paper suggested that people who lost £1,000 in a day or £2,000 over 90 days would have to undergo these checks.

According to data from the Gambling Commission, around 116,000 people lost £1,000 in a 24-hour period from May 2020 to April 2021.

However, land-based casinos, as opposed to online betting platforms, are expected to see their restrictions loosened. For example, smaller casinos will be allowed to have 80 gambling machines, up from 20.

The proposals will be announced by the culture secretary in Parliament today.

Ahead of the announcement, Ms Frazer said on Twitter: “From football accumulators to the Grand National, the odd flutter is something millions enjoy.

“But advances in tech mean we all now have a casino in our pockets.

“Today, I’ll be updating gambling laws for the smartphone age to better protect people from gambling-related harm.”

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