IEA Head of Lifestyle Economics Christopher Snowdon has been quoted in The Yorkshire Times responding to the government’s new gambling white paper which proposes sweeping new regulation of the sector.

Christopher said:

“The government’s gambling reforms are a mixture of the good, the bad and the indifferent.

“Allowing more machines in casinos addresses a genuine problem with the existing law and is long overdue. A direct levy on the industry to fund NHS treatment can be justified but it is essential that the money goes towards treatment and does not become a slush fund for anti-gambling activists and academics.

“Affordability checks and online stake limits risk pushing gamblers from reputable UK websites to unregulated parts of the internet. Although affordability checks are sometimes necessary, routine checks could become arbitrary and set a worrying precedent for personal privacy. Lower limits for adults under 25 are patronising and could create a two-tier society.”

Read the full article here.

Christopher was also quoted by The Daily Brit and WiredGov.