BGC welcomes new UK Shadow Gambling Minister, DCMS Secretary as Gambling Review nears

UK standards body Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has welcomed the appointment of Lucy Powell as Labour’s new Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which is in charge of the ongoing Gambling Act Review in the country. 

Michael Dugher, chief executive of the BGC, also welcomed Alex Davies-Jones on her appointment as Shadow Gambling Minister, where she replaces Alex Sobel. Davies-Jones was previously a member of the DCMS Select Committee.

Powell, Manchester Central MP, who was previously Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, was given the new role as Labour leader Keir Starmer carried out a frontbench reshuffle. She replaces Jo Stevens, who is the new Shadow Secretary of State for Wales.

Dugher said he looked forward to working with both Powell and Davies-Jones as the Government continues its Gambling Review and prepares to publish its white paper in the coming months.

Thrilled to have been appointed the news Shadow Minister for Tech, Gambling & Digital Economy working in such a brilliant team 👇 1/3 https://t.co/gS58QBotfk

— Alex Davies-Jones MP (@AlexDaviesJones) December 4, 2021

“On behalf of our members, who between them support 119,000 jobs, generate £4.5bn in tax and contribute £7.7bn to the economy in gross value added, I’d like to congratulate Lucy and Alex on their appointments," he said in a news release Monday. “I know how incredibly talented both of them are and they are taking on big jobs at a really important time, as we await the publication of the Gambling white paper.

According to the UK Gambling Commission, problem gambling rates have fallen from 0.6% to 0.3% in the past year, "which suggests the work we have done since being established two years ago is having an impact," BGC CEO noted. “But one problem gambler is one too many, and I look forward to working with Lucy and Alex as we seek to strike the right balance between focusing in to better protect problem gamblers and those at risk, whilst at the same time ensuring that the millions of people who enjoy a flutter perfectly safely are able to do so without changes that might drive them to the unsafe, unregulated black market online."

“I would like to thank Jo Stevens and Alex Sobel for all their positive engagement with BGC members in the past, in particular for the support they gave the land-based sector that faced such difficult challenges being closed down during the Covid lockdowns,” Dugher concluded.