The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 2nd September 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the latest statistics released by the Gambling Commission, suggesting that gambling harms may be eight times higher than previously thought.
Baroness Twycross (Lab, DCMS): The Gambling Commission’s formal guidance(opens in a new tab) is clear about the inaccuracies of comparing the findings of the recent statistics released in the Gambling Survey for Great Britain with previous surveys. However, we recognise the impact harmful gambling can have on individuals and their families and, as stated in the Government’s manifesto, we are committed to strengthening the protections for those at risk. The Gambling Commission’s new survey helps to show the wider picture of gambling experiences across Great Britain. The Government will consider these findings alongside the evidence from a wide range of sources to inform decisions on how best to fulfil its manifesto commitment.
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government:
- how much revenue the Treasury received from gambling operator application fees, operator annual licence fees, and personal licence fees in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022, and (5) 2023.
- how much revenue the Treasury received from fines and other compliance and enforcement costs from gambling operators in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022, and (5) 2023.
Baroness Twycross: HM Treasury receives no revenue from gambling operator application fees, operator annual licence fees, and personal licence fees. Licence fees are set by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and are collected and utilised by the Gambling Commission to cover the costs of regulation.
The Gambling Commission may impose financial penalties on gambling operators if a licence condition has been breached. The Treasury receives income from financial penalties imposed by the Gambling Commission on operators. The total amount received in each of the last five financial years is detailed below:
| 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
| £2.0m | £13.2m | £21.7m | £20.9m | £7.1m |
(Note: Due to reporting cycles, financial year is preferred to calendar year, with each period covering 1st April – 31st March).
In some circumstances, the Gambling Commission may agree a regulatory settlement in lieu of a financial penalty, which may include a financial element. Regulatory settlements are paid by an operator for socially responsible purposes and are not paid to the Exchequer. The Gambling Commission approves the destination of the financial element against set criteria. The destinations for regulatory settlements are published on the Gambling Commission’s website.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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