Tag Archives: UKGC

The UK Charity Commission has closed its ‘regulatory case’ against the Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM) after finding no grounds for any further examination.  The regulator had responded to a complaint that raised questions related to YGAM’s relationship with industry standards and trade body the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC). YGAM replied to the complaint by outlining that its …

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has reported a steady decrease in online gambling activity as UK governments ease their COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.    The Commission continues to monitor online gambling behaviours impacted by COVID-19 and lockdown circumstances, reflecting licensed operator data recorded between March 2020 to May 2021. During May, the UKGC registered a 14% decrease in the number of active …

The Sports Betting Integrity Forum (SBIF) has relaunched its website and online resources to provide a better platform for informing all relevant stakeholders involved in protecting the UK’s sports integrity. The forum works as the UK’s representative betting integrity body within the Council of Europe’s ‘Macolin Convention’ on the safeguarding of professional sports against manipulation and criminal threats.   The SBIF, …

Licensing expert David Clifton, Director at ‎Clifton Davies Consultancy, tries to read the runes (or the many strategy documents) to discern what the new Gambling Commission (UKGC) CEO has to deal with during his 18 month tenure. The last month has seen the arrival of a new, albeit ‘interim’, Chief Executive at the Gambling Commission. With an employment background of …

The UK government has confirmed that it will increase licence fee costs across all business verticals of the UK gambling sector, with increased fees to be enforced from 1 October.  The measure was announced by DCMS, publishing its response to a consultation launched on 29 January examining the funding structures of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). Central to its assessment, …

Martin Lycka, Entain Plc’s Senior Vice President of US Regulatory Affairs & Responsible Gambling, comments on the thorny yet unavoidable issue of industry taxation and why operators may hiss at feeling short-changed… Jean Baptiste Colbert, the Sun King’s First Minister of State, once quipped that “the art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as to obtain the largest …

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has confirmed the appointment of Andrew Rhodes as its new Interim Chief Executive. Rhodes will replace Sarah Gardner as the acting CEO of the Commission. Gardner took leadership of the regulator following the abrupt departure of Neil McArthur last March in light of regulatory failings surrounding the high profile collapse of Football Index.  Updating stakeholders, …

DCMS has confirmed that Malcolm Sheehan QC will lead its independent review into the collapse of BetIndex, the operating company of failed football trading platform Football Index.  Sheehan will conduct a review of the regulatory failings concerning Football Index’s collapse, which will be reported back to the government in its ongoing review of the 2005 Gambling Act. The review will …

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has published its latest ‘impact report’ tracking online gambling behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic as the UK government eases National Lockdown orders. Tracking the month of April, the Commission recorded a total online gambling GGY of £560 million, up 3% on March’s corresponding results of £546 million.  April’s total GGY growth was attributed to ‘a …

 Italian lottery operator Sisal has secured a major endorsement in its bid to win the UK National Lottery’s operating contract, as BT becomes its strategic telecoms partner. Maintaining the UK’s biggest customer base for home broadband and household telecom services, BT will serve as the ‘network partner’ of Sisal’s bid, working on ‘how to combine the best fixed and mobile …