The Social Market Foundation’s tax proposals unveiled this week provided an interesting insight to the mindset of both the organisation itself and the political church it’s trying to preach to.
And throughout it has been difficult to escape the concept of scrutiny.
While gambling is amongst the most scrutinised industries in the entire UK economy, answerable both to the Gambling Commission and the local authorities, the same simply could not be said about the SMF and its data and suspect survey. Nor too, the political wing the think tank is clearly targeting.
In its conclusions it challenged everything it argued the industry stood for, and all the while real analysts were sitting in the room thumbing through the SMF document in disbelief at the absence of any reliable statistical data points and accurate information or evidence.
Regulus Partners savaged the report within hours – it probably could have done it in minutes so ‘shoddy’,as they described it, was the survey and data.
It was a detailed assassination of what Regulus called a move of ‘political opportunism’.
And that observation fits neatly into what’s driving this absurd wave, mainly on the political fringes with the likes of absolutist MPs such as Dawn Butler and Alex Ballinger. In the real world, they are probably one step away from an intervention. In their world, they’re totally tuned into the vibe.
And it’s that vibe which is causing considerable discomfort. So obsessed with gambling and the evangelistic drive to get venues off the high street, despite the intense scrutiny and obligations those businesses have to the regulator and its local authority, nothing is more important to them than taking thousands of businesses out of the UK economy.
Not even an actual coup at the top of the government and one of the most serious acts of undermining the democratic framework of British politics moves them. We can overthrow a leader elected by the country and install, without scrutiny or challenge, a man who won 54 percent of the vote in a choreographed by-election in a constituency that ranks between the 350-400th largest out of 650 in the UK.
But you can’t gamble where you want.
This is crazy town politics – and worrying not just for our industry, but the UK economy. Those that pass every scrutiny test and regulatory requirement and deliver jobs, high street footfall, entertainment and innovation – the SMF acolytes are determined to kick out.
That plan will not deliver growth: why would any business investor put money into a country that’s ruled by a vibe, whilst their business model is ruled by evidence.
In this small review Bacta, GBG, BA, BGC and Regulus Partners offer their viewpoint on this dangerous situation where facts and evidence are dismissed by a vibe and emotion.
But facts do matter and they were absent in their entirety at the SMF launch this week.
So here’s a few issues to process and scrutinise, courtesy of a high street operator that does employ staff, does provide its financial details to the Commission, operates under all the regulatory rules of the Commission and the local authority, provides a percentage of turnover to the Gambling Levy, pays its business rates, corporation tax, NI and VAT, runs an extensive community programme, invests in its facilities, utilises the most advanced gambling harm innovations for all its players and hasn’t been afforded a price increase by the government for 13 years:
• Where is the evidence that higher MGD reduces harm – SMF only offers dodgy theories but no real-life evidence;
• The report asks readers to accept assumptions as if they were established facts;
• Every major conclusion rests on modelling and speculation – not proof;
• The report counts every supposed cost of gaming but conveniently ignores every benefit: bingo and its social importance; working men’s clubs and their role in the community;how important B3 machines are in supporting seaside businesses;
• The report is dependent on evidence selected to fit;
• The case for higher taxes simply does not stand up to scrutiny;
• The report has a complete lack of understanding on technical issues;
• The report barely deals with displacement – moving from regulated high street venues and bingo to online where migration to unregulated sites is factual.
Vibe your way out of that?
Originally published on Coinslot on July 6, 2026. Republished with permission.