Dr. Helen McAvoy:

Yes. We have proposed some amendments to heads 49, 86 and 92 that ask for limits to be applied to all gambling products, stakes, prizes and deposits, including those online. We also have recommended a scheme of escalating fines and a threshold that, if exceeded, would trigger a revocation of a licence. At the moment, there are a number of fines and penalties but we feel the industry can well afford to pay some of these fines and continue with business as usual, so we need to up the level of deterrent to some of these potentially harmful interactions with problem gamblers where breach of self-exclusion incurs an automatic loss of licence. They are some of the tougher measures we are proposing should be in legislation, especially with regard to protecting vulnerable groups.

The Bill could be more specific on regulation of advertising, especially in sport. For us, sport plays a very important role in public health. It promotes physical activity, child development and weight management, and for mental health it is fantastic. We do not see the gambling industry having a role in the sponsorship of sport or the marketing and advertising of it. That is a key point for us here.

I will pass over to my colleague Dr Reynolds on the matter of fixed odds betting terminals, FOBTs, as she is a little more experienced in this area than I am. Very briefly on the issue of licensing, I agree the granting of a licence where it is against the spirit, if not the letter, of the law is problematic. Also, where we see multiple licences for land-based betting in disadvantaged communities, it contributes to driving the problem into those low-income communities, driving urban decay and driving addiction problems in those communities. There needs to be a very measured, appropriate approach to asking whether this licensing is in the public interest, if it is what the community wants and what the outcome of this will be for health and well-being in that community, so I agree with that. I am not familiar enough with the intricacies around planning and local authority powers on the granting of licences, but that is the principle we would follow.

If the Chairman allows, I will pass over to Dr. Reynolds to deal with FOBTs.