People gambling online should have to prove they can afford to gamble more than £100 a month, according to a new report.

Proposals from the Social Marketing Foundation (SMF) thinktank also include calls for tax incentives for gambling firms that move their operations onshore.

In a wide-ranging report, focused on online gambling, the SMF is calling for:

• Limits on how much can be staked online
• A new Gambling Ombudsman
• Review of all gambling taxation
• Clearer sanctions for firms that fail to uphold standards
• More funding for research into treatment for gambling addiction

The SMF’s report follows growing pressure for sweeping changes to existing gambling legislation with growing public awareness of the dangers associated with addiction.

In its 2019 General Election Manifesto, the Conservative Party, which won an 80-seat majority, promised to hold a review of the 2005 Gambling Act.

CARE is currently campaigning for this review to take place as soon as possible as the first step towards genuine reform.