UKGC Unrelenting Against Operators that Don’t Meet Standards

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has stated that it will not show leniency towards operators that fail to meet the required standards.

In recent months, the UKGC has imposed major penalties and settlements on operators who have failed to meet their regulatory obligations, resulting in over £76m in penalties paid by operators in 27 enforcement cases since the beginning of 2022. Angus emphasised that these actions should serve as a strong caution to all firms – William Hill was hit with a record fine earlier this year.

He stated: “Where we find operators failing to meet our standards we will continue to take unrelenting action. We think the action we are taking makes clear what our expectations are.

“And at the volume, we’re now broadcasting them, we are pretty sure those operators who were still deaf to them a year or two ago, are now getting the message.”

In spite of the tough stance taken against operators who fail to meet standards, the director of policy, Ian Angus, did express a willingness to collaborate with the industry. He also addressed the criticism levelled at UKGC in recent times, including concerns about the lack of clarity and guidance on topics such as spending limits and the rate of play. Angus acknowledged these criticisms and suggested that the regulator would work towards addressing them in the future.

Angus also said: “Driving up the standards of gambling operators through our compliance and enforcement work is an important focus and will remain so.

“But we also want to work with the industry to improve protections for consumers as well as improving the evidence base and our regulation in general.

“While we have previously been criticised for our efforts to be collaborative, we are clear that working together can lead to more progress, more quickly. And the results bear that out,” he added.

Angus provided additional information about the forthcoming single customer view (SCV) initiative, which will involve operators exchanging data with each other to enhance protection against gambling-related harms. He added that the new system is a core component to put “people first”.

“The Betting and Gaming Council has led on that piece of work and will soon trial the first phase of GamProtect, its multi-operator risk-sharing solution. We look forward to the trial going live and the subsequent evaluation and development of the model,” the director added.