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The UK Gambling Commission has outlined the five areas where it believes improvements to regulation can have the biggest impact over the next three years in its latest corporate strategy update.
The gambling regulator’s corporate strategy for 2024 to 2027 was published on April 8, covering its objectives, duties and how they will be delivered, as well as giving areas of “strategic focus” in the coming years.
Areas of focus include using data and analytics to make gambling regulation more effective, enhancing its core operational functions, setting clear evidence-based requirements for licensees, being proactive and addressing issues at the earliest opportunity and regulating a successful National Lottery.
The Gambling Commission has included several key commitments for each of its areas of focus, as well as an explanation of how it will monitor progress for each of them.
Marcus Boyle, chair of the Gambling Commission, said the new strategy “sets out how we will deliver the reforms set out in the government’s gambling white paper, and successfully regulate the National Lottery under a new licensee.”
“We are also setting out an ambitious programme to enhance the effectiveness of our regulation. A new data innovation hub will foster the smarter use of data. We will increase the transparency of our work to raise standards in the gambling industry, and we will be creative in disrupting those who seek to operate illegally,” Boyle said.
The development of the data hub is part of a wider plan of greater automation so the regulator can improve efficiency, minimise regulatory burdens and enable it to focus more resources on its frontline regulatory activities.
Ultimately, Boyle and the Gambling Commission want gambling to be “fair, safe, and crime-free” and believe this strategy will help move the regulator closer to that vision.
"This in turn will make us more responsive to emerging issues and provide greater protections for consumers and the wider public. It will also help us to alert the industry at the earliest possible opportunity to potential risks to the licensing objectives," according to the strategy.
Delivering these commitments within the five areas of focus and its core functions is dependent on several “cross-cutting activities” that underpin all of the regulator’s work, according to the strategy.
This means the regulator will develop and implement a people strategy, ensure effective stakeholder engagement, and put sound financial management policies in place that will include setting and agreeing budgets annually and targeting additional investment into its areas of strategic focus.
Gambling Commission CEO Andrew Rhodes said: “Our objective is to be the authoritative voice on evidence and data, to tackle misinformation, delve into the facts, and help bring about improved outcomes for the public. Our Gambling Survey for Great Britain is one example of how we aim to embrace new data and intelligence.
“It is vital we maintain high standards for gambling consumers, working with industry to resolve issues at the earliest opportunity. We will continue to work across borders to tackle common issues like illegal gambling, and to learn and share regulatory best practice,” he said.
