Snap General Election sees DCMS delay publication of industry FOBTs & Advertising review

The UK Department for Culture Media & Sports (DCMS) has chosen to delay the publication of its industry review of FOBTs practices and advertising standards following this week’s Snap General Election call by PM Theresa May.

The report which is eagerly awaited by industry stakeholders was due to be published this April. However, in light of the General Election call for 8 June, the Conservative government will not push forward with any significant policy changes.

UK gambling operators are keen to find out whether the government will implement any stringent wager limits to FOBTs machines, and furthermore if the government is to implement a 9-pm ‘watershed’ restriction on gambling advertising.

The DCMS industry review has been labelled as a potentially ‘game changing’ mandate for legacy betting operators who operate retail betting portfolios.

Throughout 2016/17 FTSE-listed Ladbrokes Coral has warned the government against implementing stringent FOBTs wagering limits, which could lead to a significant reduction of its retail estates and job-losses as the company is forced to reduce costs.

Industry news sources report that the publication of the DCMS review is now likely to be pushed back to ‘late autumn’ dependent on the outcome of the 2017 General Election.