Concerns Over Problem Gambling

The Evangelical Alliance says it is alarmed that the new head of the Gambling Commission has a "liberal" attitude to the industry.

In a recent interview Peter Dean, who is in charge of regulating gambling in the public interest after a relaxation of the laws, suggested the Gambling Commission will be a laissez faire regulator which believes regional casinos with million-pound slot machines are "not such a very big deal."

Gareth Wallace, parliamentary officer at the Evangelical Alliance, said in response: "Over a year ago we warned Tessa Jowell that the Gambling Act risked opening aPandora's Box.

"She assured us at the time of the Government's commitment to ensuring that the Bill does not cause an increase in problem gambling and we were dismissed as alarmist. Recent developments confirm our concerns."

"The Evangelical Alliance has called on the Gambling Commission and the Government to clarify exactly what Mr Dean's proposed 'gambling prevalence study' involves, and how it relates to the Government's promised 'rigorous independent research' against robust benchmarks to monitor the incidence of problem gambling.

"In particular the Evangelical Alliance is keen to discover who will do the research, will it be independent and fair and will every casino be thoroughly and comparatively researched?"

Wallace concluded: "We must not forget that the initial batch of new casinos are 'pilots' for the purpose of the Government's promised independent research into problem gambling. This is in addition to the baseline study that Peter Dean supposedly has in mind. It is to be hoped that such important research will be given the highest priority and not be construed as 'onerous regulation'. The last thing we need is a weak and woolly Gambling Commission."

The Evangelical Alliance has recently published a briefing paper for churches concerned by plans to build a new casino in their area.