Image: The report urges less central regulation

A report by the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee has called for the reduction in centralised gambling regulation, with more power to be handed to local authorities.

It follows an examination of the Gambling Act 2005, which the committee's report has said "resulted in numerous inconsistencies and is not sufficiently evidence based".

High street betting shops and casinos are currently allowed to house up to four B2 gaming machines - offering stakes up to £100 and prizes worth up to £500.

However, the committee believes casinos should be permitted to house 20 B2-type machines and said limiting the number in betting shops encourages "clusters" in some high streets.

Other recommendations include an independent review of Gambling Commission spending, which should be carried out with a view to reducing costs and regulations for the sector.

Committee chair John Whittingdale said: "The reluctantly permissive tone of gambling legislation over the last 50 years now looks outdated.

"Our general approach in this report has therefore been to support liberalisation of rules and delegation of decisions to those closest to the communities that will be affected."

Click here to read more about the committee's recommendations for the reduction of centralised regulation within the UK gambling industry.

Image: siart/shutterstock.com