Let’s not be unnecessarily hasty on gambling regulation

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Having been involved in politics in one way or another for the past 30 years, I know how difficult being in government can be.

I was a minister under Gordon Brown and, before that, an adviser when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer. Competing interests are constantly vying for the prime minister’s ear, trying to persuade him or her to come round to their way of thinking.

As we await the publication of the government’s gambling white paper, the voices of those who want much tighter regulation imposed on the betting and gaming industry are getting louder and louder.

I don’t really have a dog in this fight, but it seems to me that a lot of the criticism directed at gambling operators is driven