Abstract
Gambling in the UK has undergone significant change in both profile and nature
over the last 10 years, with the introduction of the National Lottery giving
it a far greater acceptance in mainstream culture and reform of taxation,
particularly in the general betting sector, underpinning a period of
significant growth. More change is on the way, however, following the
introduction to law of the Gambling Act in April 2005, the first major change
in gambling legislation in 40 years.
As a consequence of the uncertainty that surrounded the final shape of the Act
as it made its way through Parliament, the gambling industry has been priming
itself to react to the new legislation over the last two years rather than
attempting to second-guess the final shape of the law and steam ahead in any
major developmental direction. The passing of the Act has not, in fact, fired
the starting gun on any race to carve out new markets or any new battle for
market share as it largely set out a framework for future governance, with the
detail to be filled in by the new Gambling Commission. The industrys wait
and see position remains to some degree although the report does identify
many areas in which movement has now begun. It assesses these trends in their
widest context and provides timely analysis of consumers betting habits and
motives ahead of a period in which they will be more closely targeted by
gambling operators than ever before.
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