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— Matthew Lesh, IEA Director of Public Policy and Communications.
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It took 29 months and ten gambling ministers, but the government finally released the gambling white paper this week. It contains several new policies, some good, some bad and some indifferent. The good policy is raising the limit on how many gambling machines casinos can have, something I recommended in an IEA report back in 2012 ([link removed]) .

The indifferent policy is the statutory levy on gambling industry profits to fund treatment for problem gamblers. This is only considered necessary because the NHS performatively turned away voluntary donations from the industry-funded charity GambleAware last year. Nevertheless, the idea is not too objectionable so long as the money is not diverted towards slush funds for anti-gambling activists.

The bad policies are the affordability checks and the proposed two-tier system limiting younger adults to low stake gambling. Affordability checks are fraught with problems. Who defines ‘affordable’? How intrusive will the checks be? Why should customers hand over private information to online gambling companies? Above all, what happens if you fail an affordability check? Are you then banned from gambling? No one seems to know.
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No other industry is expected to ensure customers can ‘afford’ what they’re buying. The idea is largely impractical and insofar as it could be made to work, it is fundamentally illiberal. It also risks pushing gamblers into unregulated overseas sites, increasing problematic behaviour.

As I explained in A Safer Bet in 2021 ([link removed]) and again on Channel 4 News ([link removed]) , CapX ([link removed]) , and GB News ([link removed]) this week, online gambling companies have an extraordinary range of technological tools at their disposal to spot hazardous play patterns and intervene. A better approach to problem gambling is to build on this technology and standardise best practices across the industry.

There will now be a public consultation to help the government work out how to turn these ideas into workable policies. For anti-gambling campaigners, it is not the end of the road. It is merely the start of another chapter. They will be back with another long list of demands very soon. You can bet on it.

Christopher Snowdon

Head of Lifestyle Economics

Institute of Economic Affairs
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** Lab-grown meat pioneer to quit UK unless EU red tape is ditched
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The IEA’s Director of Public Policy and Communications Matthew Lesh visited Ivy Farm Technologies in Oxford with The Telegraph to try cultivated meat and discuss the red tape facing the industry.
* Ivy Farm Technologies chief executive Richard Dillon told Matthew that the “proudly British” company could be forced to move to the United States — because of the EU’s novel food regulatory framework, retained in UK law after Brexit.
* “The UK is set up to be a biotech and a food tech leader. But the decision point for us is if we cannot see a path through to regulation, through to sale, through to bringing in sales and profit, then we will be forced to up and move to another market,” Dillon said.
* Cultivated meat is an alternative protein product produced in vitro using animal cells. It can taste the same, look the same and smell the same as conventional meat; presenting a solution to the environmental and ethical challenges raised by conventional meat.
* The technology, however, could be held back by overregulation in the European Union and the United Kingdom.

Watch the Video ([link removed])
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Dillon’s comments to Matthew were covered in a news story in The Telegraph ([link removed]) .

Matthew’s visit builds on the IEA report, Bangers and Cash ([link removed]) , released in January. The report discussed how cutting red tape could turbocharge a cultivated meat revolution in the United Kingdom.
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Download ([link removed])

IEA Latest.
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Raising risk... IEA Senior Research Fellow Jamie Whyte wrote in CityAM ([link removed]) about how government guarantees on bank deposits increase risky behaviour.
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Swift Half with Snowdon... Christopher Snowdon sits down with Brian Monteith, columnist for The Scotsman and former MSP and MEP, to discuss the Scottish National Party’s nanny statism ([link removed]) .
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National Disservice... IEA Editorial and Research Fellow Professor Len Shackleton wrote for CapX ([link removed]) about how countries across Europe place limits on strikes.

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Culture war showdown... Watch the special IEA debate ([link removed]) on whether liberals should engage in the culture war. Arguing for the motion is IEA Head of Political Economy Kristian Niemietz and IEA Head of Cultural Affairs Marc Glendening. Arguing against the motion were IEA Communications Officers Harrison Griffiths and Reem Ibrahim.
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Eco-tastrophe... IEA Head of Political Economy Kristian Niemietz wrote for the IEA ([link removed]) Blog ([link removed]) criticising the eco-movement’s rejection of economic trade-offs.
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Start slashing... IEA Economics Fellow Julian Jessop was quoted in the Daily Express ([link removed]) arguing that the lower-than-expected borrowing in the year ending in March 2023 could free up funds for tax relief.
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IEA Podcast... In this week’s podcast ([link removed]) , Matthew Lesh speaks to Jamie Whyte about the efficacy and affordability of government subsidies.

IEA Insider.


** IEA Book Club events
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** IEA Book Club with Paul Johnson ([link removed])
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Wednesday, 7 June

The IEA Book Club will be hosting an event with Paul Johnson on his latest book, 'Follow the Money: How Much Does Britain Cost'. This event will take place on Wednesday 7th June from 17:30 – 19:30 at the IEA Westminster offices. Chairing this event will be Matthew Lesh.


** IEA Book Club with Ross Clark ([link removed])
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Tuesday, 13 June

The IEA Book Club will be hosting an event with Ross Clark on his latest book, 'Not Zero: How an Irrational Target Will Impoverish You, Help China (and Won’t Even Save the Planet)'. This event will take place on Tuesday 13th June from 17:30 – 19:30 at the IEA Westminster offices. Chairing this event will be IEA Energy Analyst Andy Mayer.

These events are for IEA Book Club members only. Find out more about how to join. ([link removed])


** IEA in Lisbon for Students for Liberty’s LibertyCon
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Several IEA team members were in Portugal last week for Europe’s largest pro-liberty event. LibertyCon includes over 700 attendees from across the continent.

IEA Head of International Outreach Adam Bartha was MC for the keynote stage, introducing speakers such as banking expert George Selgin, Member of Ukrainian Parliament Maryan Zablotskiy, and economist and writer Dr David Friedman.

IEA Director General Mark Littlewood delivered a keynote titled Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics —about how people are systematically wrong about major global issues such as extreme poverty, global warming and economic growth.


Reem Ibrahim and Harrison Griffiths interviewed speakers, students and attendees from all over Europe. On the newly launched IEA TikTok ([link removed]) , they asked attendees about their favourite economist or philosopher.
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