The Guardian has reported that Conservative MP Philip Davies successfully lobbied culture secretary Lucy Frazer on behalf of a casino ahead of the publication of the government’s white paper on gambling reform.
The report explains that Davies requested that the government include a measure that would allow casinos to offer credit to their customers. It’s alleged that the request followed a night of entertainment attended by Davies at Les Ambassadeurs luxury casino in Mayfair, central London.
The requested change was later included in the government’s white paper on gambling reform which was published last week.
At one point in his request, Davies referred to the casino income as ‘our gross gaming yield’ suggesting that the content of the letter to the culture secretary was provided directly by the casino itself.
According to a copy of the letter obtained through a freedom of information request by the Good Law Project, Davies wrote:
“I should also add that they are the only operator to contribute a market-leading 1% of our gross gaming yield [an industry measure roughly equivalent to revenue] to GambleAware,”
Davies has been one of the most vocal supporters of the gambling industry in parliament and has received substantial benefits from industry operators. In one year alone, he was paid £50,000 by Entain and has received £14,713.60 in the form of hospitality from betting firms in the past two years.
In its report, The Guardian noted that Davies has not responded to its request for comment.
Davies was recently named as co-chair of the cross-party parliamentary group on betting and gaming. This followed the suspension of his predecessor Scott Benton after a sting revealed that he offered to lobby on behalf of gambling firms.
Olivia has worked as an editor and writer for major brands across multiple niches. She now focuses on the iGaming and sports betting industries.