Record fines of £19m imposed on William Hill for failing to protect customers, including one who was allowed to open an account and spend £23,000 in 20 minutes without any checks, raise the question of what has happened to the government’s promise of new laws.

A white paper on gambling has been promised since December 2020, but has been repeatedly postponed.

The white paper is expected to include measures to require companies to check new customers to prove that they can afford the bets they say they want to make. But the industry has been lobbying against the changes, and ministers have been distracted by other complicated issues, including the regulation of online betting, advertising, and a statutory levy on companies to pay for the treatment of problem gambling.