A spokesman for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport has confirmed that the Gambling Bill will be debated in the House of Lords on Tuesday, dismissing a story in the Independent on Sunday saying the Government was prepared to abandon it.
The Independent quoted an unidentified “senior Whitehall source\’\’ saying that the Government will drop the controversial Bill and bring it back in the next Parliament, rather than risk the issue to dominate debate around the election campaign.
“The Gambling Bill is currently going through its stages in Parliament. We are determined that this Bill will reach the statute book as soon as possible,” the Department said in a statement released today.
“It has been the subject of nearly five years of debate and consultation and provides up to date regulation and public protection in an industry growing at an ever faster rate.”
The Gambling Bill as it stands will establish a new independent industry regulator, the Gambling Commission, and introduces controls on internet betting.
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