North London Wants Gambling Reforms Amid “Las Vegas of UK” Labeling

Senior figures from a North London council are set to ask the government to implement “urgent reforms” to address gambling-related harms in the House of Commons next week.

Growing Concerns

The intervention comes amid growing concerns over the impact of gambling on communities and a push for stronger local authority powers to combat its negative effects.

Brent Council’s Deputy Leader, councilor Milli Patel, and planning committee chair, councilor Matt Kelcher, will provide testimony to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Gambling Harms on December 10 at 10 am. 

The session will be chaired by Sir Iain Duncan-Smith, a Conservative MP for Chingford and Woodford Green who has been an MP continually since April 1992.

Their evidence will emphasize how gambling disproportionately affects local councils and communities, with Brent serving as a prominent example of these challenges.

A recent surge in gambling establishments across the borough has alarmed residents, particularly in Harlesden, where a concentrated cluster of venues has brought the area “the Las Vegas of Britain” label.

This prompted the council to pass a unanimous motion in September calling for action on gambling-related harms. 

The motion received support from all three political parties in the borough. The following month, Patel and Kelcher wrote to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, recommending a series of reforms to tackle the issue.

“It’s Time to Reform the Desperately Outdated Gambling Act”

Patel explained they were eagerly looking to speak to the APPG on Gambling Related Harms later in the month after they were given the opportunity to establish “the barriers facing local councils across the country.”

“With a Labour government at the helm, it’s time to strengthen the arm of local government and reform the desperately outdated Gambling Act,” he added.

Patel also wants to see the power go batch into the hands of the community while doing their best to keep the “high streets healthy and safe.”

She also welcomed the government’s recent move to impose a statutory levy on gambling profits to fund research, education, and treatment, calling it “a bold first step” toward addressing gambling harms.

The council’s letter outlined six proposed reforms, including empowering councils to reject harmful gambling applications, considering local debt levels in licensing decisions, and banning gambling advertisements.

Communities Experience the Effects of Gambling Proliferation “First-Hand”

Kelcher highlighted the urgency of these changes, explaining the “harmful consequences of gambling” have been thoroughly documented while also being linked to a series of social and public health issues. 

The councilor named “suicidality, depression, anxiety, and financial ruin” here while adding the communities they are currently serving are “experiencing first-hand the detrimental effects of unchecked gambling proliferation.”

“We must be empowered to act decisively to protect them,” he further argued, concluding they welcomed the Prime Minister’s “aspiration that communities should be empowered to take back control over their own destinies.”

At the end of last month, the UK government also confirmed the introduction of an online slots cap and mandatory betting levy to fund NHS services tackling gambling harm.