The Gambling Commission

Founded in 2005 under the Gambling Act, the Gambling Commission is an executive non-departmental public body that deals with issuing licences to operators, advises the UK Government and works to keep crime out of gambling.

RECENT ACTIONS

On 28 March 2023, the Gambling Commission penalised William Hill, as it paid a record amount of £19.2m ($23.8m) for social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures. This was in regards to William Hill and Mr Green.

Only a few months earlier, on 17 August 2022, Entain was required to pay £17m for social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures at its online and land-based businesses. This included 13 websites, such as Ladbrokes, Coral and Foxy Bingo.

This was after Ladbrokes Coral was ordered to pay £5.9m on 31 July 2019 for the same failings. It was found that the company had failed to ensure effective safeguards were put in place to prevent gambling harm.

HISTORY

The Commission took over from the Gaming Board for Great Britain in 2007 and assumed full responsibility for the regulation of arcades, betting, bingo, casinos, slot machines and lotteries.

In addition, any remote gambling that is undertaken through online, telephone or other communicative means is also under regulation by the Commission.

Notably, spread betting is not covered by the Gambling Commission and is instead regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, a financial regulatory body that operates independently from the UK Government.

In 2013, the National Lottery Commission merged with the Gambling Commission, which placed the regulation of the National Lottery under the control of the Gambling Commission.

RESPONSIBILITIES

In its three-year strategy report up to 2026, the Gambling Commission notes the following.

'As the gambling regulator, our duties are to aim to permit gambling, provided we are satisfied it is reasonably consistent with the licensing objectives to:

Prevent gambling from being a source of crime or disorder Ensure that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way Protect children and vulnerable people from being harmed by gambling.'

LICENSING

The Gambling Commission is responsible for the entire licencing process for operators. This includes both issuing licences to gambling companies who pass the application process, as well as revoking them. The Commission can also fine operators, as it has the duty of investigating and prosecuting illegal gambling behaviour. In many instances, the Commission will agree a regulatory settlement with the party at fault, instead of issuing a fine.

Individuals who require gambling licences for work, such as a Personal Functional Licence (PFL) for croupiers and cashiers, will also have to apply through the Gambling Commission.

MONITORING AND REGULATION

As the leading UK authority on gambling-related statistics and research, the Gambling Commission publishes frequent reports containing raw data and analysis.

The Commission is also responsible for tracking the regulations and standards enforced upon operators. Officers from the Commission have the right to visit the venues of licensed companies and examine their activities, such as financial records and responsible gambling measures. The Commission can then recommend amendments, apply supplementary licence conditions or take direct action.

This can range from issuing fines to revoking licences.

Finally, the Gambling Commission is also expected to continuously collect information on illegal activities through preliminary investigations. This is done in collaboration with the police and other organisations.