New Gambling Policy Commission draws industry criticism over funding and mandate

A new Gambling Policy Commission has been established to examine gambling policy in Great Britain, drawing immediate criticism from industry figures.

Dan Waugh, a consultant at Regulus Partners, questioned the commission's funding and its links to other organisations involved in gambling reform. "The whole thing is pretty bizarre," Waugh said.

The GPC's website states that its seed funding has been "philanthropically provided by Derek Webb", the former professional poker player and founder of the Campaign for Fairer Gambling.

"A question has to be asked about how many lobbying bodies one US resident requires to change Britain's gambling laws," Waugh said.

He added that Webb had also funded at least two parliamentary groups, at least two think tanks and myriad activist groups.

Waugh questioned the commission's comparison with the government-asked Gambling Review Body chaired by Sir Alan Budd in 2000–01. He said the new commission had no equivalent mandate.

Helen Walton, chief commercial officer and founder of G Gaming, made a similar point about accountability. "A government-commissioned review or a select committee comes with accountability built in," she said. "A self-appointed parallel commission adds pressure and confusion, not evidence."

The make-up of the commission also drew comment from Gibraltar's regulator. Andrew Lyman, the gambling commissioner for the government of Gibraltar, wondered how the GPC could assess evidence fairly. "There appears to be no gambling industry representation and therefore how will any evidence taken be objectively weighted?" he questioned.

The Commission is chaired by Professor Jagjit Chadha OBE, an economist at the University of Cambridge, with University of Reading professor James Reade serving as chief economist. They are joined by an eight-member panel drawn from economics, law, public policy, health, academia and sport.

Waugh said the Budd review's value lay in its attempt to balance personal freedom and enjoyment against protection from harm. For the new commission to be taken seriously, Waugh argued, it would need to show that it recognised those competing considerations. "There seems little point in the commission simply aggregating the lists of demands from other Derek Webb-funded enterprises."

Walton said any credible review would also need to weigh the impact of recent policy on licensed operators. "It should also look honestly at what tax and affordability changes have done to the regulated market," she said.

Waugh also questioned whether another review of gambling legislation was needed so soon after the 2020-23 review, with white paper reforms still being implemented. "It is questionable whether a new Gambling Act is actually required given the breadth of Gambling Commission powers to control the licensed market through regulation and for the secretary of state to enact changes through secondary legislation," he said.

"For this reason, perhaps the most pressing area for review is the fitness and propriety of the Gambling Commission itself," Waugh added.

Gambling consultant Steve Donoughue echoed this sentiment, brandishing the Gambling Commission as an "anti-gambling lobby" and urged that "one bit of study can be on how they have failed at being a regulator".

Not all industry voices share that view of the regulator. Walton said, "We have a regulator in the Gambling Commission that is working with industry, not just against it, and already looks at 'innovation products'."

Donoughue also argued that operators should do more to make their case publicly and support independent research. "The industry is in existential threat of being destroyed," he said.

Lyman also questioned the GPC's status. "The word 'Commission' implies some degree of official status, is that the case?" he wrote. "If this is a lobby group then there should be some transparency around that."

When approached for comment, the Gambling Commission said it had not been informed that the group was being established and emphasised that it had no formal connection to the regulator. "It is not a statutory body and it plays no role in regulating gambling in Great Britain," the regulator said.

It added that its priority was to complete and evaluate the white paper reforms.

The Betting and Gaming Council also called for the reforms to be given time to take effect. "It is important these measures are given time to bed in and their impact properly evaluated," a spokesperson said.