Camelot:Why gaming laws need revamp

I find myself in the somewhat unaccustomed position of writing to you in support of your piece “Government must act on gaming laws” (MW July 24).

I entirely agree that a wholesale review of the UK gaming industry is needed and that piecemeal deregulation carries certain dangers, not least the absence of informed public debate.

You may conclude from this that I perceive some commercial advantage for Camelot in taking such a stance. In fact I have no idea whether such a move would be good or bad news for Camelot.

What I do know is that the arrival of the National Lottery; the effect of deregulation measures to date and in the future; and the impact of technology all combine to make the current cumbersome, and potentially conflicting, structures of political responsibility and regulation worthy of review.

At the same time, I believe that the recommendation of the Rothschild Royal Commission on Gambling of 1978, that there should be a unit within government monitoring the social impact of gaming industry developments, is long overdue for implementation.

In both these cases – review and monitoring – we have consistently held the same views since the early days of the National Lottery and I have publicly expressed them on a number of occasions.

That is why I am pleased to see your article and hope it will be an opening shot in a wider debate.

David Rigg

Director of communications

Camelot Group

London SW1