Written by Jon Bryan | Expected reading time 6 minutes
Last Updated: August 27, 2026
Written by Jon Bryan
Jon Bryan, writing for SlotsHawk, looks at what a new Gambling Minister might mean for the months and years ahead in the gambling sector.
AN ELECTED POLITICIAN
The one good thing to say straight away about the new gambling minister: I am pleased that she has been elected. Vicky Foxcroft has been a Lewisham MP since 2015 and has continually won well over half of the votes at election time in her constituency. Compared to the last gambling minister, Baroness Twycross, who was an appointment by Keir Starmer from the un-elected House of Lords, this is a welcome change. I always think that you should appoint people who have been elected to positions in the government, especially when you have over 400 MPs to choose from. Appointing people to the government who sit in the House of Lords doesn’t sit right with me.
Putting that aside, the key question for the gambling sector will be about what approach she has to gambling. We can get a glimpse into this by looking at what she has said in the past and what she has voted for. Whether she continues to hold the same position will be interesting. Sometimes, when you get into a position of responsibility, you regret your previous opinions and associations and try to roll back on them. We can see this most clearly over the last couple of years when MPs such as David Lammy and Ed Miliband have had their past statements about US President Trump thrown back at them. They adopted different positions on Trump when they suddenly realise that they might have to speak to him.
Now Foxcroft has a responsibility to speak to the gambling sector and its representatives, will she adopt a different approach to things?
WHAT DOES THE PAST SHOW US?
Last autumn, Foxcroft put her name to an Early Day Motion (EDM) on gambling reform. In summary, this motion complained about ‘the spread of gambling premises’ and called for more powers to be given to local authorities to prevent venues being used for the purposes of gambling. That EDM only managed to gather the signatures of 5% of MPs, indicating it had limited support in the House of Commons.
However, 12 months on, everything has changed. Andy Burnham MP is now the Prime Minister, and this point of view regarding gambling is back in fashion. It now looks like she fits in with the dominant thinking in the UK government. This is a worrying time for the gambling industry and the gambling consumer. But how has the appointment of the new UK gambling minister gone down with others?
A WARM WELCOME
Vicky Foxcroft has been warmly welcomed by some industry bodies, with the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) saying, ‘it looked forward to working constructively with her.’ The statement continued:
“The BGC welcomed the new Minister’s previous support for a balanced, evidence-led approach to gambling regulation that protects vulnerable people, particularly children and young people, while enabling adults who choose to gamble to do so safely.”
Grainne Hurst paid tribute to the outgoing gambling minister, and reminded the incoming one of the importance of the sector:
“We look forward to working with her to champion Britain’s casinos, betting shops and online betting, gaming and bingo businesses – an industry that brings enjoyment to millions of people, sustains 109,000 jobs, contributes billions of pounds to the economy and provides vital funding for some of Britain’s best-loved sports.”
Meanwhile, BACTA, the Trade Association for the amusement and gaming machine industry in the UK, welcomed the appointment, coming at ‘a critical time for Britain’s land-based sector’. The spokesperson also talked about ‘the challenges and opportunities’ in the coming months. Judging by what we can see from the Prime Minister’s views on gambling over the last few days, the challenges are likely to outnumber the opportunities.
Offering people a warm welcome when they start in any position is a standard thing to do. That approach is likely to change if the minister’s opinions and actions have a negative impact on the sector. On the face of it, it is difficult to find anything in Foxcroft’s past which would indicate that she is open to growth in the gambling sector, or even any idea of stability.
However, she does have a strong link with trade unionism. Perhaps we can hope that she would understand the impact of policies which see a drop in the number of jobs in the sector. These are already being compiled by the BGC. Those jobs are important, and they deliver a service to the gambling consumer. That simple point does need to be reiterated from time to time, especially if unemployment rises and the gambling black market continues to grow.
AN INCREASING DIVERGENCE?
One can never completely tell what is coming down the track, and what the impact of various policy announcements are going to have. However, the conversation developing does seem to be one which is against gambling, and it seems to be gaining prominence. There is an environment where games of chance are increasingly frowned upon, which is a little bizarre when you consider how popular the national lottery is with both the public and politicians.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
On the face of it, the appointment of Vicky Foxcroft MP as gambling minister is unlikely to be good news for those of us who enjoy slots and other games of chance. And the same is probably going to be true of every sort of gambling.
There is not a united view amongst those who are active in the gambling sector, and we have yet to hear anything definitive from Foxcroft about her vision for the future of gambling. However, the signs are not good.
It’s four years since I wrote about the right to gamble in a ‘Letter on Liberty’. That right will continue to become more important if politicians and those with authority seek to take it away from us. As Vicky Foxcroft MP gets into the role as the new gambling minister, whose side she takes on this important issue will be something for us all to watch.
Jon Bryan is a Gambling Writer and recreational Poker Player who writes regularly on his Substack, as well as for SlotsHawk News, which you can find here: Jon’s articles for SlotsHawk.
Follow him on social media:
