Solihull Council Outlines Changes to Its Gambling Policy
Solihull Council, situated in Birmingham the United Kingdom’s (UK) second city, has announced several new changes to its gambling policy, in a bid to address gambling-related harm in the region.
Solihull Council consultation to produce a draft Gambling Policy.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:The draft policy outlines changes including enhanced training to identify problem gamblers, and greater transparency relating to gambling advertising.
The Council has engaged in a lengthy consultation period with gambling industry stakeholders prior to releasing these new gambling policy guidelines and hopes to have come up with balanced regulations that creates a safe gambling environment for customers without having a negative impact on the gaming industry.
The proposals want staff and front line workers to receive training to recognize early signs of customers who may be at risk from gambling related harms. The policy states that staff must be aware of the range of responsible gaming tools available to direct those who are vulnerable to gambling issues.
Additionally Solihull Council said there were issues over gambling related signage in the city and it was not always transparent concerning the licensed activities of companies in the region.
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Gambling Policy Changes to be Debated at Council Meeting
The council has sought advice from expert organizations including GamCare , the responsible gambling charity, and the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) to help produce the gaming amendments outlined.
There is a public meeting scheduled to take place on December 2nd where the draft gambling policy can be discussed before any measures are implemented. Following the meeting, Solihull Council hopes to formalize changes to its Gambling Policy and publish its gaming framework and guidelines for the next three years.
Another UK council Bradford has recently turned down an application to approve a new bookmakers due to concerns over public health.
We welcome the position Solihull Council is taking to go beyond the mandatory and default conditions for the Gambling Act. We were pleased to see Solihull Council commit to a public health approach to gambling. This commitment should include training frontline and primary care staff to recognise the signs of gambling harm and develop referral pathways to the national gambling helpline or local treatment providers.
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