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“…the gambling industry remains addicted to factional infighting which is very counter-productive…”
Former UK Shadow Gambling Minister Nick Hawkins sorts the wheat from the chaff in his bi-monthly column…
The opponents of gambling have been a bit more active recently in the public arena; there will always be people who simply refuse to accept that gambling is a vital part of the legitimate leisure industry. On the plus side, however, the astonishing 100-to-1 success of Mon Mome in the Grand National and all the positive media coverage of the happy local punters in all the bookies offices in and around Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire, close to where Venetia Williams trains the biggest surprise winner since Foinavon in 1967 (and this time happily without a pile-up of fallers) has shown the upside of having a flutter in the British national psyche. I just wish I’d backed the winner!
The recent debates in Parliament on various aspects of gambling policy have highlighted a couple of points for me – first, the fact that there has been such a dramatic declline in religious observance in Britain (except among Muslims) in recent years has meant there is less “traction” for anti-gambling sentiments purely on grounds of “morality” or “sin”. So the so-called “faith groups” campaign against increases in stakes and prizes for certain categories of machines looks doomed. Second, however, the gambling industry remains addicted to factional infighting which is very counter-productive. There was briefing and counter-briefing going on – and I wonder whether the lesson will ever be learned that, in an industry which in national political terms is considered quite small beer, it is not helpful for one part to attack another. If seaside arcades’ spokesmen spend their time attacking bookies on the subject of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals, or attacking casinos, or attacking on-line betting operators, or vice versa in each case, there is a serious danger that politicians of any party for whom this is not a mainstream interest will say “if you can’t get your act together as an industry and speak with a single voice, why should we help you?” There are now some welcome (and in my view long-overdue) moves towards getting collective work done by an “association of associations”, and I hope this bears fruit. Time will tell.
What else has been happening of interest in the gambling public affairs world? Well, the European Parliament has produced a report under the Chairmanship of Danish MEP Christel Schaldemose. Long experience has made me quite cynical about whether such reports have any substantial effect – it is the Commission which has the power in Europe, not the Parliament, and Commission decisions and publications are to be taken very seriously indeed, while the Parliament’s product (rather like Select Committee Reports in the UK Parliament) is often politely paid lip-service to, then completely ignored by those deciding the policy. However, Schaldemose (a name reminiscent of comic opera for me, though one should really resist the temptation to refer impolitely to names of other nationalities!) has certainly upset those in the online world, as it suggested there were substantial risks associated with online gambling. There was also an alternative European Parliament minority opposition report, which was much more welcome to the industry, seeking co-operation on standards on online gambling across Europe and early decisions on the many outstanding infringement proceedings. What is pretty clear at the moment is that there is no move towards a Europe-wide gambling law. Member States will continue to be responsible for their own laws, but subject to the ongoing legal challenges to many countries as they continue to be protectionist of national monopolies and fail to comply with the Directive on Freedom of Services. Although some countries are unbending slowly under the pressure of infringement proceedings, the main message is: don’t expect a free market in gambling of all kinds across Europe any time soon. If we ever get there I don’t see it being before 2020!
Finally, a big welcome for the plans recently announced, on the new London Hippodrome casino with cabaret theatre – it looks as if it will be a fantastic addition to the London scene. No surprise given that Simon Thomas, who I’ve long regarded as one of the shrewdest peoplle in UK gaming, and the Thomas family, are behind it.
