Troubled Bet: Gambling Reform in Westminster Pits Labour’s Agenda Against Industry Influence
12 October 2026
Labour MPs pushing for sweeping changes to gambling regulation face a formidable opponent: the betting industry’s deep political connections. While the party is committed to reducing gambling-related harm, its MPs have received significant funding, hospitality, and gifts from gambling firms, raising questions about the industry’s sway in Westminster.
The Government is attempting to strike a balance between protecting vulnerable gamblers and supporting the modernisation of the UK's casinos and online gaming sites. Its “High stakes” White Paper, published last year, proposed a statutory gambling levy to fund research, prevention, and treatment. It also proposed financial affordability checks to reduce excessive gambling and limit stakes for young players.
Yet implementing these reforms may be complicated by the relationship between the industry and lawmakers. Since 2019, MPs who resisted stricter gambling regulations have received £279,000 in earnings, donations, and hospitality from the betting and horseracing industries. That figure includes £109,000 to Conservative MP Laurence Robertson. Industry donations funded catering at a major Conservative fundraising event held at the Brit Awards, attended by Boris Johnson in 2019.
The betting and gaming industry has also courted Labour MPs, donating an estimated £400,000 since March 2020. Labour's former Barnsley East MP Michael Dugher, while chairing the industry's main lobbying group, the Betting & Gaming Council, met with Health Secretary Sajid Javid in 2021 to discuss government efforts to address gambling-related harm. Patrons of the recently launched All-Party Parliamentary Group on Betting and Gaming include Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner, three former Labour ministers, and two Conservative ministers, among others.
Even when MPs attempt to distance themselves from gambling donations, the perks are often too lucrative to resist. Records show Conservative and Labour MPs declared over £167,340 in donations or gifts from gambling firms in the previous Parliament. Industry-financed hospitality was offered at venues including Ascot, Cheltenham, Lord's Cricket Ground, and Wembley Stadium. In 2022, the Conservative Party suspended MP Scott Benton over alleged lobbying on the industry's behalf.
More on this is available via explore this gambling guide.
As Ministers moved to close gambling loopholes, the industry spent hundreds of thousands to influence reform, with proposed measures including limits on online stakes and a ban on industry sponsorship. The anti-gambling charity Senet purchased ads urging people to write to their MPs about gambling reform.
Given the financial stakes, gambling reform could reshape this lucrative yet controversial industry. But more significant are the challenges posed by the industry’s political connections. The Betting & Gaming APPG aims to ensure policymaking considers both industry perspectives and regulatory concerns. The danger is that this approach might strengthen existing political and financial ties.
The key question is how to ensure reforms serve public interests rather than political expediency. That will determine the gambling laws taking effect in 2024.