BGC Criticises SMF’s Monthly Deposit Limit Proposal

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has criticised the Social Market Foundation’s (SMF) proposal that players in the UK should be subjected to a monthly deposit cap of £100.

A new report released by the SMF revealed numerous suggestions to improve the integrity of gambling in the country. The replacement of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) was recommended in addition to the deposit limits, as were other practices.

When the 2005 Gambling Act is reviewed by the government – as has been promised – the BGC believes that all changes should be reasoned from evidence. However, it argued that the deposit caps did not fit this criterion.

Warning that implementing measures without concrete evidence could be detrimental to the UK’s gambling industry, the BGC said the following.

“Some 30 million people enjoy an occasional bet, whether that’s on the Lottery, bingo or sports and gaming, and the overwhelming majority of them do so perfectly safely. We already carry out robust and improved affordability checks, and regularly intervene on customers to ensure they gamble within their means.

“We disagree with the suggestion of an arbitrary and random low cap on spending and can think of no other area of the economy where the government determines how much an individual can spend.”

The BGC also continued with the below.

“We must avoid measures that see safe regulated betting being driven to unregulated, offshore, illegal black market operators online who don’t have the same checks, interventions and high standards that apply to regulated BGC members.

“Measures must be proportionate, evidence-led and fully thought through so as not to jeopardise the 100,000 jobs the industry supports or the over £3 billion in tax revenues it generates for the Exchequer.”