Britain’s Betting and Gaming APPG to close

Formed in June 2015 as a cross-party group that had no official status within parliament, the group featured members with a shared interest in the gambling industry.

The APPG weighed in on a host of key issues in recent years but, as announced in a LinkedIn post by gambling consultant and APPG member Steve Donoughue, the group will now disband.

“It has been decided by the officers of the APPG to close formally as an APPG for the foreseeable future,” Donoughue said.

“With the publication of the government’s gambling review and the consultations it has launched into various aspects of its implementation, gambling remains an important political issue, as well as an important part of the UK economy. 

“The group is very grateful for the engagement of those in the industry and associated industries over many years.”

Donoughue added that the group will now seek to set up an informal network of those interested in the British gambling sector. This will include organising meetings and discussions outside the formal APPG structure.

White paper

The announcement comes amid the fallout of the release of the government’s long-awaited white paper, which was finally published last month after a series of delays.

Key topics covered in the white paper included affordability checks, a consultation on stake limits, new funding for RET, setting up an ombudsman for dispute resolution, easing land-based restrictions, advertising measures and tackling the black market.