_{Andrew Rhodes, CEO of the Gambling Commission, addresses the audience at the 2024 CEO Briefing. (Image: GC Linkedin)}

On November 14, 2024, Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive of the UK Gambling Commission, delivered a significant speech at the annual CEO Briefing, focusing on the future of the British gambling sector, particularly concerning online casinos. 

The audience contained a substantial contingent of the British-facing gambling sector as well as representatives of the gambling legal profession.

Improving Compliance and Consumer Protection 

Rhodes began by saying, "One of the things I believe in is setting clear expectations for the road ahead, as much as I can, given not all things are in the gift or control of the Commission." 

In his speech, Rhodes highlighted a marked improvement in compliance levels among operators, with a notable increase in operators demonstrating good or satisfactory results regarding consumer protection requirements and customer interaction requirements.  

On the complexity of the scrutiny the work of the commission recieves, Rhodes said, "I am conscious of the range of people who pour over every set of remarks I deliver and find points they wish to dispute or imply have some meaning when they don’t. 

“On that basis, I need to be clear: I don’t think it is for the regulator to drive up ‘happiness’ with service or a gambling experience for commercial reasons, but I do think we have a role in understanding what works well and what doesn’t, in line with our statutory objectives, which typically relate to our objective on gambling being fair and open.” 

Focus on Transparency  

Rhodes commented on how the gambling industry can be perceived by the media, saying, "This is an industry that tends to be described homogenously by the media and critics, where all of you are sometimes judged based on the conduct of one. 

“I’m not sure I have an answer for that and I’m also not sure it is one of the many problems I have to solve, but I do think it is a consideration for trade bodies and advisors perhaps.”

Rhodes noted a need for clarity regarding the reasons for asking consumers for information or restricting their accounts, "We can’t be demanding more transparency for consumers from all of you when we’re not willing to push ourselves to do so as well.” 

Consumer Challenges with Withdrawals

Withdrawals remain the top complaint from consumers, and the Commission is focusing on understanding the reasons behind delayed withdrawals. 

Rhodes indicated that operators must maintain strong processes for handling withdrawal requests to mitigate consumer frustration: "We know that for many of you, you have strong processes in place to turn withdrawals around quickly. 

“Data provided to the Commission by some of the largest gambling companies shows that those firms approve, process, and fulfil around 99 percent of customer withdrawal requests within 24 to 48 hours of the request being made. That is really positive.”  

Data-Driven Insights 

The introduction of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) has provided valuable data for understanding gambling behaviours and trends. This survey is crucial for tracking changes in consumer interactions and ensuring that policy decisions are based on robust evidence. 

"The GSGB is a big step forward: the largest survey of its kind in the world, we are now confident that we have an independently recognised, robust methodology that will help us to track trends in gambling behaviour in the years to come. adds Rhodes.

“And the depth of information it provides is helping us push forward in a number of ways already.” 

Engagement and Collaboration with Operators 

The Gambling Commission has launched initiatives to improve its engagement with the casino and broader gambling sectors. The introduction of a pilot program for direct communication with operators is designed to address queries and provide quicker responses, facilitating a better working relationship.

At the end of October, the pilot had 500 operators, which was 22 percent of the GC’s active license population. 

The GC is now going to review if this service is the solution that best serves the needs of licensees and is achievable on a permanent basis at the same time. 

Addressing Illegal Gambling 

The Commission has undertaken numerous actions to disrupt illegal activities and is gathering data to understand the full scope of illegal gambling's impact on legitimate business.

Rhodes said that the topic has been a political football in recent years and at times the discussion about illegal gambling has been quite reductive and unhelpful. 

“It is also another place where we see quite absolutist views where people are cited as deniers or exaggerators. The reality is more complicated, and it would be, wouldn’t it?—it's wrapped up in human behaviour. 

“A lot of focus has been on different groups trying to estimate the size of the market and then what they think that should mean. Estimating how big the illegal market is will be important, but knowing how big it is doesn’t tell us much about why people use it and that’s what a larger part of our focus is.”