The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has today confirmed the appointment of James Mackay as new Executive Director, charged with leading the next competition process for the licence of the UK National Lottery. A regulatory compliance and policy expert, Mackay joins UKGC leadership from UK rail networks’ supervisory body the Rail Delivery Group, where he most recently served as Head of …
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Gala Interactive is to pay a £2.3m penalty package for breaching regulations which protect consumers, a Gambling Commission investigation has revealed. The action relates to two ‘VIP’ customers, who displayed problem gambling behaviour in wagering £1.3m of stolen money. Customer A lost £837,545 in a 14 month period, during which time he placed 842,020 bets, depositing almost £49,000 on one day …
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At the end of May, Tim Miller, Executive Director at the UK’s Gambling Commission made a speech at the IAGA International Gaming Summit in New York. Just over a month later, the Commission unveiled its new enforcement strategy, intended “to ensure operators put customers first and raise standards” in the words of Sarah Harrison, the Commission’s Chief Executive. These two …
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The Gambling Commission has defended its focus on consumer protection amid concerns that the shift in focus under CEO Sarah Harrison is a case of ‘regulatory creep’. The comments came as part of the consultation process into the Commission’s enforcement strategy published today which revealed a new enforcement strategy which will be used to tackle operators who breach gambling regulations. Citing how a fast …
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Updating the market, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has confirmed the appointment of David Pemberton as the body’s new Chief Operating Officer. Pemberton is expected to join the UKGC’s leadership team at the end of June, and will be tasked with managing the regulator’s corporate services including HR, finance, IT, planning and risk. For the past 13-years Pemberton has acted …
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The point of consumption licensing introduced in 2014 is being reviewed by the Gambling Commission to check its effectiveness. Speaking to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Betting and Gaming at Westminster on Wednesday, the regulator’s CEO Sarah Harrison revealed that the Commission is looking again at the general framework to see how it is functioning and whether any improvements can …
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In last month’s article for SBC News, I wrote about the Gambling Commission’s consultation “Changes to our enforcement strategy: putting the consumer first” that runs until 21 April 2017. I referred to recent speeches given by the Commission’s Chief Executive Sarah Harrison in November and February that, foreshadowing the Commission’s new enforcement mission statement, set out its reinforced focus on …
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The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) warns parents over the perils of gambling linked to video games, calling for adults to be vigilant to the dangers of gambling associated with video games. Its warning follows the publication of a Commission paper on virtual currencies, eSports and social gaming (http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/PDF/Virtual-currencies) The UKGC explains that there has been an increase in the popularity …
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Some of you may remember “The Enforcer”, the third in the Dirty Harry film series, starring Clint Eastwood as Inspector “Dirty” Harry Callahan. The critic’s reviews were initially poor – Eastwood was named “Worst Actor of the Year” by the Harvard Lampoon – but the film was a major commercial success. Now, 41 years later, Sarah Harrison, Chief Executive of …
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Clifton Davies co-founder David Clifton has a look at the increasing regulatory scrutiny on the gambling industry and warns there may be more to come. My “Licensing Expert” article last month posed the question whether a regulatory crackdown on gambling advertising was around the corner. We now know at least part of the answer. The Department for Culture Media & …
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