Acknowledging that the industry in the UK was not always as responsible as it should have been in the past, Rank Group director of public affairs David Williams noted that the industry is “light years away” from what it once was.
Speaking on the “Political Focus: Reputation of Gambling in the Media” panel at yesterday’s World Regulatory Briefing at ICE Vox, Williams shared insights of the changes he had seen over his 17 year career in the industry.
“The industry that I have worked in for the last three or four years is lightyears ahead of the industry I was working in 10, 15 years ago”, he said. “I’m not saying we’re all the way there. This is a sort of journey that will never be finished.”
Williams said some of the less reputable behaviour was happening as recently as three years ago, but described a sea change in which a focus on responsible gambling now made those activities “inconceivable”.
“It wasn’t a million years ago. It happened from about a decade ago until only about three years ago. And what is happening now is there is a righting of those wrongs”, he said. “Now, the government may well be of the view that you need to go further faster. But certainly, through the best endeavours of the [Betting and Gaming Council] and operators, we are self-regulated, trying to make sure that we can be part of that mainstream — so we are not faced with a Gambling Act which actually throws the baby out with the bathwater.”
Former California Gaming Commission commissioner Richard Schuetz said the U.S. was experiencing the same challenges, but may not have learnt from the UK.
“One of the big mistakes the United States made is not paying attention to the UK and other jurisdictions’ experiences, because it had an opportunity to avoid a raft of mistakes. Rather than learning from the mistakes, I think we’ve tried to outdo them”, he said.
“I’m not bitter at this industry. What I’m saying is I believe it needs to get in a sustainable place and that’s not happening right now.”
Schuetz said the regulatory process had been “monetized to insanity” in the U.S. and blamed politicians for creating a situation in which the viability of the industry was in question.
“Unfortunately, no one’s asking, where’s the sustainability lobbyist? We don’t have those. Who is the problem gambling lobbyist? We don’t have those. Those people aren’t writing big checks, and if you don’t write big checks to these people, you don’t get your way. That’s why we received this cornucopia of different bills across the United States”, he argued.
Returning to the UK industry’s efforts to redeem itself, Betting and Gaming Council chair Brigid Simmonds painted a picture in which the mainstream-media’s take on the industry seemed to be at odds with real public opinion.
“Politicians do not get cases in their constituency about ourselves. It’s just not an issue”, she said. She added that industries which are central to UK culture, such as horse racing, could not exist without the betting industry.
“There is a fundamental difference between alcohol and gaming and tobacco. Tobacco is just bad for you. Gaming and alcohol, in moderation, are absolutely fine. The vast majority of people in this country bet in moderation, but they don’t talk about loads. I think we perhaps in the UK have this issue about people feeling that it’s shameful and that they shouldn’t talk about it. Actually, their behaviour is absolutely fine”, she said.
Williams agreed and said that in general, the public is not offended by the industry. Referring to the loudest critics in the media, he said, “Let’s not assume that this is the dominant voice, and therefore that translates to the public at large. The vast majority of people are genuinely okay with the regulated industry.”
