A PRESS STATEMENT from Church House welcomed the Government’s confirmation on Tuesday that it had scrapped plans for a supercasino in Manchester.
It asks the Culture Secretary, Andy Burnham, to warn the gambling industry that he will enforce a statutory levy to fund research into, and treatment of, problem gambling.
Mr Burnham told the House of Commons on Tuesday that 16 smaller casinos would go ahead, but the UK would have the “toughest regulatory regime for gambling in the world”. He promised a statutory levy on casino operators, and other safeguards.
The chairman of the Church’s Mission and Public Affairs Council, Dr Philip Giddings, was quoted in the Church House release as saying that Mr Burnham “is exactly right when he says it is unacceptable that only 360 out of 3800 licensed operators have contributed to the Responsibility in Gambling Trust. The Government has eased restrictions on their industry; so the least they could do is to show responsibility in funding research into and treatment of the side-effects.”
Mr Burnham “has every reason to put the funding on a statutory basis”, Dr Giddings said.
A fortnight ago, the General Synod voiced its “grave concern” about the rise in the “national spend” on gambling and requested the levy (News and debates, 15 February). The Methodist Church, Evangelical Alliance and the Salvation Army also welcomed the Government’s decision this week. |
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