Three-quarters of the British population gamble (mainly on the National Lottery), and they generate about 46 billion pounds a year. This book examines recent developments in the regulation and deregulation of the three primary forms of gambling — betting, gaming, and lotteries — against an account of its social and legal history. Based upon Home Office files and contemporary account, the book begins by evaluating how the law was used to control and suppress popular gambling. It shows how prohibition gave way to the recognition that regulation offered a more effective method of controlling a so ... More

Three-quarters of the British population gamble (mainly on the National Lottery), and they generate about 46 billion pounds a year. This book examines recent developments in the regulation and deregulation of the three primary forms of gambling — betting, gaming, and lotteries — against an account of its social and legal history. Based upon Home Office files and contemporary account, the book begins by evaluating how the law was used to control and suppress popular gambling. It shows how prohibition gave way to the recognition that regulation offered a more effective method of controlling a social pastime that, by the mid-20th century, had become a feature of daily life. It examines the implementation and impact of the present law governing commercial gambling and the National Lottery in terms of regulation and the enforcement of regulatory regimes. The book concludes with an evaluation of the Gambling Bill, a draft of which was published in 2003.