Bookies unite to promote careful gambling

William Hill, Ladbrokes, Gala Coral and Paddy Power have committed to a package of measures launched to address public concerns about the industry.

The move comes after calls for action to tackle issues including the amount staked on fixed odds betting machines and children being exposed to gambling adverts.

The key measures proposed by the firms, which will come into force on October 1, include a voluntary ban on advertising sign-up offers such as free bets and free money on TV before 9pm.

They also include the withdrawal of all advertising of gaming machines from betting shop windows and dedicating 20 per cent of shop window advertising to responsible gambling messages.

The companies are also pledging that from January a new independent body called the Senet Group will be established to hold the industry to account.

It will be headed by an independent standards commissioner and aim to protect “vulnerable” gamblers, as well as having the power to “name and shame” or fine operators in breach of codes of practice.

The voluntary measures will initially only apply to the four founding companies, but they are calling on others to sign up.

James Henderson, chief executive of ​the UK’s biggest bookmaker William Hill, said: “The launch of the Senet Group sets a benchmark by which we and the betting industry can be judged.”

William Hill is a major employer in Yorkshire with 3,000 staff, including 1,300 in Leeds.

Richard Glynn, chief executive of Ladbrokes, said: “Gambling has long been a leisure pursuit and part of the cultural fabric of the UK, but we are alive to the concerns of the public to keep gambling a responsible and fun activity.”

Carl Leaver, group chief executive of Gala Coral, said: “Actions speak louder than words. That’s why the Senet Group will be given the independence, budget and purpose to hold the betting industry to account.”

Patrick Kennedy, chief executive of Paddy Power, added: “Putting responsible gambling at the heart of our business is simply the right thing to do.”

The initiative was announced in a full-page open letter written to newspapers by the bosses of the four companies.

In April, the Government announced local authorities would be given more power to control the number of betting shops opening in their area as part of a review of gambling policy.

The Government is tightening planning controls on the spread of betting shops and the high-stakes gambling machines that make up a growing part of their business.

Ministers are looking at controls on gambling advertising and protections for players on fixed odds terminals.

“We... will continue to work constructively with the Government and the regulator to improve standards of player protection,” the letter signed by the chief executives of the four companies said.

The regulations announced earlier this year come on top of higher taxes on gambling machines announced in the budget in March, which the industry said together would cost it £350m a year and risked putting more than 2,000 betting shops out of business.

The latest letter could represent a change of tone by the industry compared with a previous communication in April, which said Government tax measures were “difficult to comprehend” and argued there was no evidence to suggest gaming machines were causing an increase in problem gambling.