Dr James Noyes has called for caution in the roll-out of affordability checks. Noyes was one of the early proponents of affordability checks related to gambling. He has now written an open letter to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy opposing the measures.
Noyes was a senior member of the Social Market Foundation (SMF) thinktank which proposed affordability measures in 2020. These checks were put forward to combat harmful gambling and help those with addiction issues. They were also intended to regulate how online bookmakers could take advantage of problem gamblers.
However, since a test run in 2024, and an introduction of wide-ranging affordability checks last year, negative effects have arisen. The unregulated gambling industry has been among the dark forces to profit. Illegal bookmaking has skyrocketed, with a number of such operators enjoying turnover at the Cheltenham Festival.
With “frictionless” affordability checks set to be rolled, Noyes is among the high profile figures calling for a delay. His open letter is similar to the one released by major names in British horse racing last month.
Noyes “deeply concerned over a lack of transparency”
As reported by the Guardian, Noyes was among those to call for affordability checks in 2020. His proposals were targeted towards dealing with gambling addiction, with zero impact on those betting safely.
Noyes’ letter addresses this, stating that such checks are “a worthy idea in principle”. He goes on to say that in “preventing serious cases of harm from happening, they would not impede the majority of gamblers from engaging in a lawful activity which involves inherent risk, economic agency and their own money”.
However, he believes that such measures have gone too far. Noyes expresses that he is “deeply concerned over a lack of transparency…reading increasing reports that the pilot scheme has involved inconsistent data, unclear outcomes and unnecessary friction”.
He concludes by stating that the Gambling Commission has “a duty to listen to the [British Horseracing Authority’s] warnings and to act accordingly, in order to protect such an important part of British cultural and social life”, and that that “the current situation of financial risk checks is raising serious questions, which should be addressed by government before any further progress of that policy is made.
“I am therefore calling on the government to pay heed to the BHA’s warnings and to pause these checks until there has been adequate evaluation and scrutiny.”