‘Greater central drive’ from Home Office and justice agencies needed to tackle gambling-related crime, says report

In its final report, the Commission on Crime and Gambling Related Harms calls for a “greater central drive” from the Home Office and Ministry of Justice (MoJ), together with more funding to be provided locally and regionally, to develop a treatment and support infrastructure through the police, courts and prisons, which would help to reduce crime and enable more people to access services.

The Commission also recommends the creation of a national board to address crime linked to gambling – including senior representatives from the police, police and crime commissioners, prosecution, courts, probation, prisons, public health, victims’ advocates, and representation from those with lived experience of gambling-related harms related to crime.

The Commission discovered that there is “appetite for reform” within the police, courts, prisons and probation, but found an “apparent absence of scrutiny” within government, by inspectors of government services and, “largely speaking”, by Parliamentarians.

The report, released on Wednesday (April 26), comes as the Government published its long-awaited White Paper on reforms to gambling laws.

The Commission on Crime and Gambling Related Harms, chaired by Lord Peter Goldsmith KC, was set up by the Howard League for Penal Reform in 2019 to investigate the links between crime and gambling-related harms, what impact they have on communities and wider society, and what steps could be taken to reduce crime and make people safer.

It says there is “an urgent need for ownership to be taken to reduce gambling harms related to crime both at political and strategic level and at operational policy and professional stakeholder level”.

Lord Goldsmith said: “Hardly a week goes by, it seems, without a newspaper reporting a criminal court case in which gambling has been a factor – but we know that the cases that reach the news are not the full picture.

“Although gambling-related harms have links to a diverse range of offences, this is not yet well recognised by government and reliable estimates of prevalence remain elusive.

“Many witnesses who gave evidence to the Commission pointed to a lack of understanding and support for those affected at each stage of the criminal justice system – at the police station, in the courtroom, on community sentences, in prison and on release.

“More positively, there are already initiatives showing a way forward across the country, and there is a growing understanding among some practitioners that gambling-related harms can be as intrinsically linked to contact with the criminal justice system as substance misuse or poor mental health.

“There are opportunities for this to be recognised more systematically in the burgeoning development of nationwide prevention and support services.

“It is time for action. Our recommendations point the way ahead for politicians, policymakers and everyone working to prevent crime.”

When the Commission began in 2019, it found that the previous 25 years had produced fewer than 50 peer-researched papers worldwide that were focused on the links between gambling-related harms and crime. As well as holding evidence sessions with expert witnesses, it commissioned a series of new research projects to broaden understanding of the issue.

This work has enabled the Commission to make recommendations responding to four priorities: developing a strategic approach to gambling-related crime; enhancing the role of criminal justice agencies; integrating gambling-related crime into broader government action on gambling harms; and commissioning further research.

The recommendations include a call for better screening and assessment processes at multiple points of the criminal justice process and a mandatory requirement that, where gambling-related harms or potential gambling addiction are identified, pre-sentence reports are completed to advise the court on appropriate sentencing options that include support and treatment pathways.

The Commission recommends that the “voices of people with lived experience of gambling harms related to crime”, including those affected by the gambling of others, should be integral to the development of guidance, training and support.

There are specific recommendations aimed at the MoJ, the Crown Prosecution Service, the Sentencing Council, the Judicial College and His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, in respect of changes they could make to improve their handling of cases linked to gambling.

The Commission says a joint Parliamentary select committee should be established to scrutinise cross-government action on gambling-related harms and its links to crime.

In the longer term, it said this work could be continued by a group comprising government ministers, departmental leads and other organisations – a model similar to the existing Deaths in Custody Ministerial Group.

Inappropriate confiscation of assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act, which can ruin the lives of innocent families, was raised as a particular cause for concern in the Commission’s evidence sessions. The report calls for “careful consideration” by the Home Office and the Gambling Commission of how the asset confiscation scheme applies to gambling-related crimes.

The Government said its White Paper on gambling, which was published on Thursday (April 27), marks the “biggest shake-up of regulation in the sector for nearly 20 years”.

Problem gambling is said to affect an estimated 300,000 people, and the Government says people at risk of gambling-related harm will be better protected under its plans to update betting rules for the digital age.

These include a mandatory levy on betting firms to pay for treatment of addiction, new player protection checks and stake limits for online slots.

In addition, the Gambling Commission will get tougher powers following recent high-profile fines against gambling operators for failing to protect people at risk.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said: “We live in an age where people have a virtual mobile casino in their pockets. It has made gambling easier, quicker and often more fun, but when things go wrong it can see people lose thousands of pounds in a few swipes of the screen.

“So we are stepping in to update the law for those most at risk of harm with a new levy on gambling operators to pay for treatment and education, player protection checks and new online slots stake limits.

“This will strengthen the safety net and help deliver our long-term plan to help build stronger communities while allowing millions of people to continue to play safely.”

Welcoming the Government’s White Paper, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners said it has been “shocked” to hear of the many cases where online gambling has drawn people into serious criminality; stealing or defrauding to fund their addictive betting.

It said: “We therefore welcome proposals for stake limits on online slot machines and we will be pushing to ensure these are set appropriately.

“We are also pleased to see the recognition of the importance of affordability checks and the need to address irresponsible use of ‘free bet’ and other promotions.

“We also need to get serious about prevention; that’s why we’ve consistently expressed our concerns at PCCs about ‘loot boxes’ that normalise gambling and draw in children and young people, which need tackling too.”