It took 29 months and ten gambling ministers, but the government finally released the gambling white paper this week. It contains several new policies, some good, some bad and some indifferent. The good policy is raising the limit on how many gambling machines casinos can have, something I recommended in an IEA report back in 2012.

The indifferent policy is the statutory levy on gambling industry profits to fund treatment for problem gamblers. This is only considered necessary because the NHS performatively turned away voluntary donations from the industry-funded charity GambleAware last year. Nevertheless, the idea is not too objectionable so long as the money is not diverted towards slush funds for anti-gambling activists.

The bad policies are the affordability checks and the proposed two-tier system limiting younger adults to low stake gambling. Affordability checks are fraught with problems. Who defines ‘affordable’? How intrusive will the checks be? Why should customers hand over private information to online gambling companies? Above all, what happens if you fail an affordability check? Are you then banned from gambling? No one seems to know.

No other industry is expected to ensure customers can ‘afford’ what they’re buying. The idea is largely impractical and insofar as it could be made to work, it is fundamentally illiberal. It also risks pushing gamblers into unregulated overseas sites, increasing problematic behaviour.

As I explained in A Safer Bet in 2021 and again on Channel 4 News, CapX, and GB News this week, online gambling companies have an extraordinary range of technological tools at their disposal to spot hazardous play patterns and intervene. A better approach to problem gambling is to build on this technology and standardise best practices across the industry.

There will now be a public consultation to help the government work out how to turn these ideas into workable policies. For anti-gambling campaigners, it is not the end of the road. It is merely the start of another chapter. They will be back with another long list of demands very soon. You can bet on it.

Christopher Snowdon

Head of Lifestyle Economics

Institute of Economic Affairs

Dillon’s comments to Matthew were covered in a news story in The Telegraph.

Matthew’s visit builds on the IEA report, Bangers and Cash, released in January. The report discussed how cutting red tape could turbocharge a cultivated meat revolution in the United Kingdom.

Raising risk... IEA Senior Research Fellow Jamie Whyte wrote in CityAM about how government guarantees on bank deposits increase risky behaviour.

Swift Half with Snowdon... Christopher Snowdon sits down with Brian Monteith, columnist for The Scotsman and former MSP and MEP, to discuss the Scottish National Party’s nanny statism.

National Disservice... IEA Editorial and Research Fellow Professor Len Shackleton wrote for CapX about how countries across Europe place limits on strikes.

Culture war showdown... Watch the special IEA debate on whether liberals should engage in the culture war. Arguing for the motion is IEA Head of Political Economy Kristian Niemietz and IEA Head of Cultural Affairs Marc Glendening. Arguing against the motion were IEA Communications Officers Harrison Griffiths and Reem Ibrahim.

Eco-tastrophe... IEA Head of Political Economy Kristian Niemietz wrote for the IEA Blog criticising the eco-movement’s rejection of economic trade-offs.

Start slashing... IEA Economics Fellow Julian Jessop was quoted in the Daily Express arguing that the lower-than-expected borrowing in the year ending in March 2023 could free up funds for tax relief.

IEA Podcast... In this week’s podcast, Matthew Lesh speaks to Jamie Whyte about the efficacy and affordability of government subsidies.

IEA Book Club with Paul Johnson

Wednesday, 7 June

The IEA Book Club will be hosting an event with Paul Johnson on his latest book, 'Follow the Money: How Much Does Britain Cost'. This event will take place on Wednesday 7th June from 17:30 – 19:30 at the IEA Westminster offices. Chairing this event will be Matthew Lesh.

IEA Book Club with Ross Clark

Tuesday, 13 June

The IEA Book Club will be hosting an event with Ross Clark on his latest book, 'Not Zero: How an Irrational Target Will Impoverish You, Help China (and Won’t Even Save the Planet)'. This event will take place on Tuesday 13th June from 17:30 – 19:30 at the IEA Westminster offices. Chairing this event will be IEA Energy Analyst Andy Mayer.

Several IEA team members were in Portugal last week for Europe’s largest pro-liberty event. LibertyCon includes over 700 attendees from across the continent.

IEA Head of International Outreach Adam Bartha was MC for the keynote stage, introducing speakers such as banking expert George Selgin, Member of Ukrainian Parliament Maryan Zablotskiy, and economist and writer Dr David Friedman.

IEA Director General Mark Littlewood delivered a keynote titled Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics —about how people are systematically wrong about major global issues such as extreme poverty, global warming and economic growth.

Reem Ibrahim and Harrison Griffiths interviewed speakers, students and attendees from all over Europe. On the newly launched IEA TikTok, they asked attendees about their favourite economist or philosopher.