Howard League for Penal Reform Launches Commission on Crime and Problem Gambling

The Howard League for Penal Reform, a UK registered charity and the oldest penal reform organisation in the world, has launched the Commission on Crime and Problem Gambling, which aimed at investigating the links between crime and problem gambling.

The commission will run for three years with the former Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith QC, as Chair. Goldsmith will lead a team of 15 commissioners, bringing together academics and professionals with expertise in the criminal justice, public health, gambling industry and lived experience of addiction.

“Concern about harmful gambling activity has been growing for some time, but this is the first commission to focus specifically on the relationship between problem gambling and crime. Our commission will seek to establish what the links are; what impact they have on communities and wider society; and, crucially, what steps could be taken to reduce crime and make people safer,” Lord Goldsmith QC said.

“This independent Commission on Crime and Problem Gambling will fill a significant gap in understanding the relationship between gambling harms and crime. We support the Howard League’s evidence-based and comprehensive approach and anticipate that the recommendations from the Commission will help us make better and faster progress in delivering the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms,” Tim Miller, Executive Director at the Gambling Commission said.

“Today we are launching a major commission to investigate the links between crime and problem gambling. The Commission on Crime and Problem Gambling will run for three years, with Lord Goldsmith QC as Chair,” Tim Miller added.