Draft Gambling Bill
This page explains the development of policy in relation to the Government's proposals for the reform of the law on gambling.
The Gambling Bill has now been introduced into Parliament. For information on its progress, and for access to the latest draft of the Bill and other Parliamentary papers, please go to the Gambling Bill page.
Background and history of policy development.
The background and history section below explains the development of Government policy on the reform of gambling.
It explains that policy was developed first by an Independent Gambling Review Body. The Government responded to the Report of the Review Body in a Government White Paper and went to publish a draft Bill. The draft Bill was scrutinised by a Joint Committee of both Houses of Parliament. The Joint Committee produced two reports on the draft Bill and associated policy matters. The Government responded to each of these reports and then prepared the Bill for introduction. The Gambling Bill was introduced on 18 October 2004, and published the following day.
On 22 July 2004, the Joint Committee on the draft Gambling Bill (Regional Casinos) published its report on regional casinos. The Joint Committee included members of the House of Commons and House of Lords and was chaired by John Greenway MP.
On 22 September 2004, the Government published its response to the First Report of the Joint Committee on the draft Gambling Bill (Regional Casinos)
On 7 April 2004, the Joint Committee on the Draft Gambling Bill published its first report. The Joint Committee sat from December 2003 and received oral and written evidence about the Government's Draft Gambling Bill. The Joint Committee included members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and was chaired by John Greenway MP.
On 14 June 2004 the Government published its response to the first report of the Joint Committee on the draft Gambling Bill. The Government's response accepts 121 of the 139 recommendations made by the Joint Committee. The Government also published an initial Regulatory Impact Assessment addressing the proposals in its response.
On 12 March 2004, the Government published a number of additional clauses from the Draft Gambling Bill. The clauses cover:
-
Restrictions on the provision of credit and inducements by gambling operators;
-
Prohibitions on the use of credit cards in relation to gambling, and;
-
The prohibition of chain gifting schemes.
Explanatory notes are also available for these draft clauses.
On 5 February 2004, the Government published a number of additional clauses from the Draft Gambling Bill. The clauses cover:
-
Gambling in alcohol licensed premises;
-
Gambling in members' clubs, commercial clubs and miners' welfare institutes;
-
Gambling Commission powers to void unfair bets;
-
Provisions allowing for the enforcement of contracts related to gambling, and;
-
A revised offence of cheating.
Explanatory notes are also available for these draft clauses.
top
A consolidated version of the February 2004 Draft Gambling Bill is now available.
The additional provisions in the new draft are:
-
Additions to clauses: 21(1)(b), 26(7), 201(1)(b), 67(9), 262(1)
-
Whole new clauses: 30, 34, 247, 261
-
Whole new Parts - 12, 13 and 15
-
Whole new Schedule - 9
The Government also published, on 5 February, a number of additional documents giving further explanation of its policy proposals. These are:
-
Policy memoranda giving more detail of policy proposals in areas not yet addressed by draft clauses;
-
-
|
