DCMS pledges fair & ethical Evaluation of Gambling Review’s policy measures

DCMS and the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) have published the ‘Evaluation Plan‘ on the impact of the policy measures undertaken by the Gambling Act Review.

The evaluation of policy measures will be conducted by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), which began a scoping study in January 2024, to be followed by fieldwork research beginning in January 2025. NatCen is expected to present its findings and deliver the final report in 2026.

As detailed in the DCMS foreword: “The gambling white paper contains over 60 proposed policy measures, to be delivered by a mixture of different stakeholders, making it a highly complex policy initiative. The policy measures have different timeframes and implementation processes, and potentially intersecting outcomes and impacts. Attribution or contribution of observed changes to any one policy measure is therefore difficult.”

“DCMS and the Gambling Commission are working together to deliver an appropriate programme of work to evaluate the impact of the policy measures implemented following the Review.”

For stakeholders, the evaluation aims to assess and uncover the intended or unintended impacts, outcomes, and effectiveness of specific policy measures adopted in the Gambling Review’s White Paper.

The research will examine the individual and collective impacts of policies and how they were implemented, including changing dynamics and external influences such as the July 2024 General Election.

The underlying objective of the evaluation is to deliver a fair assessment of policy measures to improve learning outcomes for stakeholders, enabling them to design and implement better policies for UK gambling.

Key Questions 

Fieldwork will probe and address the seven principal evaluation questions:

1. Outcomes and Impacts: What were the intended and unintended outcomes of the policies, and how did they interact?
2. Implementation: Were the proposals implemented as planned, and did they reach their intended audiences? If not, what changed and why?
3. Contributions: How did the proposals contribute to:
   * Reducing gambling-related harm to vulnerable groups.
   * Strengthening gambling protections while preserving consumer choice.
   *Creating fair regulation for online and land-based industries.
4. Combined Impact: What was the overall contribution of the policies to the observed results?
5. Success Factors: What conditions were necessary for the policies to succeed
6. Contextual Influences: How did internal and external factors support or hinder the policies, and how did they interact with the proposals?
7. Future Policy: What can be learned to improve future gambling-related policies?

Evaluation oversight led by Ethics & Governance 

Of  significance, DCMS and the Gambling Commission highlight an “enhanced approach to research ethics,” with feedback from Lived Experience identified as a key area: “The evaluation will include a Lived Experience Panel (LEP), bringing together people with lived experience of gambling and gambling harm, working in conjunction with GC’s pre-existing Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP).”

“The panel will aim to provide guidance and input throughout the project, including advice and direction to the evaluation, and ensure that the voices of different groups with lived experience of gambling and gambling harm, including those of affected others, are considered.”

Research and fieldwork will be supported by the establishment of an Evaluation Advisory Group, composed of experts in gambling policy, research, and evaluation. This group will provide independent advice and help mitigate risks throughout the evaluation process: “The group will provide expert advice and input, independent assurance for key evaluation products and outputs, and assist evaluators in anticipating and mitigating risks and issues which may impact the evaluation. The group will be administered by NatCen. Neither group plays a role in policy development.”

DCMS reaffirms its commitment to delivering a comprehensive and ethical evaluation of the Gambling Act Review policies and their broader implications for regulation and societal outcomes.

Yesterday, Gambling Minister Baroness Twycross addressed the GambleAware Annual Conference, emphasising that the Labour government is determined to implement all policy recommendations of the Gambling Review, ushering a “new era of accountability for UK Gambling.”