SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
UK gambling trade body Bacta and its managerial team received formal training from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) regarding quarterly returns.
Simon Bradbury, Justine Hillson, David Miller and John Salsbury – all led by Bacta’s Executive Director Robert Gibb – visited the UKGC’s head office in Birmingham where they met compliance specialists to help them with the procedure.
Reporting switched from annually to quarterly under the mandate of the Gambling Act White Paper, with some questions dropped out of the report in order to compensate for the increasing volume.
This was reinstated by Sarah Gardner, UKGC Deputy CEO during her speech at the Hospice Lotteries Association Conference earlier this week, where she congratulated on the work done between the UKGC and the sector.
On the quarterly returns, Gibb outlined: “This is all about being able to support our members more effectively. Obviously it’s a legal requirement to complete the returns which can often prove difficult for smaller businesses who are already working extremely long hours and in challenging circumstances.
“The MSOs are based in the field and are on-hand to help Bacta members in any way they can. They fulfil an invaluable function across many different areas of the business, not least with the requirements of operating businesses in what is a highly regulated sector and where failure to be compliant can have severe consequences.
“It wasn’t a one way discussion. We were asked a whole range of questions about the process and how we felt that our members would react and respond to the new system. Reflecting on the day I thought it was really productive and something which I hope we will be able to repeat again in the near future.”
