Decision details

Standing Order 11.21:

Time must be made available in each Assembly year for debates on the following items of business:

(iv) motions proposed by any Member who is not a member of the government

The item started at 15.01

Voting on the motion under this item was deferred until Voting Time.

NDM5712

Mick Antoniw (Pontypridd)

Jocelyn Davies (South Wales East)

Aled Roberts (North Wales)

Nick Ramsay (Monmouth)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Recognises that online technology together with intense advertising has fuelled the growth of gambling in Wales and notes that:

a) gambling is available to the entire population of Wales 24/7;

b) gambling can become a socially damaging addiction, contributing to poverty, health and social problems;

c) early identification and support is essential if addiction is to be avoided;

d) the growth in online gambling and fixed-odds betting machines has turned gambling in the UK into a multi-billion pound industry; and

e) the regulatory environment in which gambling takes place is relatively light-touch.

2. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) develop and implement a strategy to tackle the social and health consequences of gambling;

b) engage with the UK Government to discuss the devolution of greater powers over the licensing of gaming machines; and

c) engage with the gambling industry and the Responsible Gambling Trust  to ensure that an appropriate proportion of funding is spent in Wales to tackle issues around gambling addiction.

The result was as follows:

The motion was agreed.