The Evangelical Alliance UK has this week expressed its grave concerns that the new head of the Gambling Commission has a distinct ‘liberal’ attitude towards the controversial industry.

|TOP|Mr Peter Dean has recently taken over as department head for the government body that will regulate gambling in the public interest following a relaxation of the laws.

In an interview Dean suggested that the Gambling Commission should act as a laissez faire regulator which upholds the belief that regional casinos with million-pound slot machines are “not such a very big deal”.

The Parliamentary Officer at the Evangelical Alliance UK (EAUK), Gareth Wallace has expressed the organisation’s concerns, saying: “Over a year ago we warned Tessa Jowell that the Gambling Act risked opening a ‘Pandora’s Box’. She assured us at the time of the Government’s commitment to ensuring that the Bill does not cause an increase in problem gambling and we were dismissed as alarmist. Recent developments confirm our concerns.”

Following Dean’s interview, the EAUK has called on the Gambling Commission and the British government to present a precise clarification on what Dean’s promised “gambling prevalence study” involves.

|AD|In addition to this, the Alliance calls for an explanation as to how this would relate to the government’s express promise that “rigorous independent research” would be carried out regarding the issue to monitor the incidences of problem gambling.

One thing the EAUK is pressurising the government for is for it to announce who will carry out the research promised, and called for assurances to be given that it would be independent and fair so that every casino would be thoroughly and comparatively researched.

EAUK’s Wallace concluded, “We must not forget that the initial batch of new casinos are ‘pilots’ for the purpose of the Government’s promised independent research into problem gambling. This is in addition to the baseline study that Peter Dean supposedly has in mind. It is to be hoped that such important research will be given the highest priority and not be construed as ‘onerous regulation’. The last thing we need is a weak and woolly Gambling Commission.”

A briefing paper was recently prepared by the Evangelical Alliance for churches concerned about new casinos being planned for their areas. The research document is entitled ‘Help – There’s a Casino Coming! – Guidance for Churches on Responding to Local Casino Schemes’. The publication is 8-pages and can be downloaded freely from the EAUK website by clicking HERE.