Neil McArthur

Enforcement Report details UKGC concerns for consumer protection

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has published its second annual ‘Enforcement Report’, providing a detailed overview of the work and progress the Commission has made on its regulatory agenda and industry directives.

The report updates industry stakeholders on the seven key disciplines central to UK gambling policy and standards – safer gambling, AML, marketing/advertising, illegal activities, affordability, consumer protection and compliance.

On each discipline, the UKGC offers readers a breakdown of ‘notable enforcement cases’ sanctioned against UK licensed incumbents over the past year.

Nevertheless, the UKGC underlines that its report should be read as ‘industry guidance’, offering betting leadership insights on notable case studies and further providing key criteria ‘health checks’ detailing UKGC best practices and learnings.

In the report’s forward statement, UKGC Chief Executive Neil McArthur outlines that the document should be seen as a ‘support tool which the industry can use and digest the lessons to be learned for the future’.

McArthur states that during the course of 2018/19, the commission has been alarmed by the number of occasions it has had to enforce ‘tough actions’ protecting consumers and the wider public.

Closing its 2018/19 enforcement proceedings, the UKGC has issued a combined £19.6million in operator penalty packages, with the commission enforcing the surrender of three Personal Management Licences.

“I want gambling consumers in Britain to be able to enjoy the fairest and safest gambling in the world and I want gambling operators to work with us to put customer enjoyment and safety at the top of their corporate agenda,” said McArthur.

“As the report shows, we will be tough when we find operators bending the rules or failing to meet our expectations, but we also want to try and minimise the need for such action by providing advice, a programme of support material and compliance activity to help operators get things right in the first place.’’

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