He will join in the new year from his current position as Press Secretary to Conservative cabinet minister Ben Wallace and head of ministerial communications at the MoD.

He will be assisted in the role by Deputy Director of Communications and Digital Michael Denoual.

“The BGC is the standards body committed to driving big changes across the regulated betting and gaming industry,” said BGC Chief Executive Michael Dugher. “David Willetts is a brilliantly experienced and respected former journalist and communications professional with an outstanding reputation in the media and in government.

“David will be a formidable asset for the BGC. He also joins a strong team which includes the superbly talented Michael Denoual.”

Willetts previously worked in journalism for The Sun for over a decade before joining the MoD.

“I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the Betting and Gaming Council and can’t wait to get started,” said Willetts. “They’ve already made big strides increasing standards across the industry and I’m looking forward to working with the excellent team to drive that work on.”

The BGC earlier this month hailed Safer Gambling Week 2021 - which ran from 1-7 November - as a huge success, generating almost 25 million social media impressions, a 19% increase from 2020.