Post White Paper, UK gambling enters its ‘consultation phase’, as the government seeks relevant feedback on key policy proposals to govern the sector. Licensing Expert David Clifton details how consultation questions asked by the Gambling Commission reveal a new approach to the risk assessment & financial vulnerability of customers. ____________________ On 26 July, the UKGC launched its first set of …
Read More »Tag Archives: Licensing Expert
David Clifton: Licensing Expert – William Hill tells a story of a predictable outcome
The record + £19m fine imposed on William Hill reveals why UK gambling Plcs have found it hard to accommodate new rules on Social Responsibility and Customer Interaction… A reality previously foretold by David Clifton. The regulatory settlements pursuant to which William Hill are obliged to pay a record total of £19.2 million for social responsibility and anti-money …
Read More »David Clifton: Licensing Expert – To appeal or not to appeal?
The First Tier Tribunal Decision in the case of ‘Daub Alderney Limited v The Gambling Commission’ was reported on the Commission’s website on 13 December 2022. This arose from an appeal against a decision relating to the quantum of a financial penalty for regulatory compliance breaches imposed by a Panel of Gambling Commissioners. The dismissal of the appeal by Tribunal …
Read More »David Clifton: Licensing Expert – UK Gambling’s settlement is required sooner rather than later
Parliament returns from its summer recess with a new Prime Minister and senior cabinet, but gambling remains in the dark with regards to its regulatory future, in which an urgent settlement is required on dragged-out affairs for all industry stakeholders. It is two months since publication of my last ‘Licensing Expert’ article, ‘Change will come – eventually’, focusing on the …
Read More »David Clifton: Licensing Expert – Musings on a pending White Paper
As I write this, the global gambling industry community has this week once more descended on London for the return of the ICE 2022 conference. Many of them may have thought that, by now, the potential future UK gambling regulatory landscape would already have been made clear, bearing in mind initial indications that the Government White Paper on the Gambling …
Read More »David Clifton, Licensing Expert: 10 forecasts and a hope for 2021
12 months ago, 2019 ended with a promise within the Queen’s Speech from the then newly elected Conservative Party government to “carry out a Review of the Gambling Act”. Now, 2020 is ending with that promise being fulfilled. On 8 December 2020, the Gambling Act Review was launched, with a Call for Evidence that runs until midnight on 31 March …
Read More »David Clifton, Licensing Expert: Has the die already been cast?
In last month’s “Licensing Expert” article for SBC News, I talked about a possible link between erosion of parliamentarians’ trust in the Gambling Commission and erosion of the Commission’s trust in the gambling sector. Since then, more recent events have served to underline even more the extent to which trust in both the regulator and the regulated has so regrettably …
Read More »David Clifton: Licensing Expert – Question Time… A review of the UKGC’s second ‘Enforcement Report’
I have lost count of the number of times over the last year that I have urged clients, potential clients, conference audiences (and, quite frankly, anyone else involved in the UK gambling industry who is prepared to listen) to read the Gambling Commission’s first-ever Enforcement Report, published back in June 2018. I’ve told them that it is essential reading material …
Read More »David Clifton: Licensing Expert – First thoughts on UKGC’s FOBTs & social responsibility recommendations
It’s been a long wait, and an even longer debate, but in an announcement that will undoubtedly have a very strong influence on Government gambling policy, the UK Gambling Commission has advised that whilst a stake reduction for FOBT (category B2) machines is appropriate to reduce the risk of gambling-related harm, that alone is unlikely to have more than a …
Read More »David Clifton: Licensing Expert – William Hill this week…Who will it be next week?
The Gambling Commission has found “systemic” failings within the AML and social responsibility processes of WHG (International) Limited (that trades as William Hill Online). Those failings resulted in it repeatedly, over a 21 month period between 2014 and 2016, breaching (a) its licence condition requiring compliance with the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 and (b) LCCP social responsibility code provision 3.4.1 (customer interaction) in its dealings …
Read More »