written and last updated by
Sam Smith at
04 May 2023
Journalist, Editorial Department
Last week, the long-awaited review of the Gambling Act 2005 was published in the UK. The white paper aims to modernize legislation governing the gambling sector for the digital age. In turn, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is committed to making "rapid progress in several key areas," although it acknowledges that full implementation of the white paper will take several years.
Tim Miller, the UKGC's chief executive, shared the Commission's perspective in a blog post on its official website. He emphasized that despite the upcoming work, the regulator will not lose focus on "continuing its vigorous efforts to enforce existing requirements." Miller stated, "Where gambling operators fail to meet our standards, we will continue to take action to protect consumers and raise standards, while also playing our part in realizing the government's ambitions for reforming gambling in the digital age."
Many of the proposals outlined in the white paper will undergo a consultation period. Miller confirmed that the first licensing conditions and codes of practice related to the released document "will be published this summer." He added that "pre-consultation engagement with stakeholders" will begin this summer on various fronts.
Miller also noted, "The scale of the work outlined in the official document is significant, and rightly so. It will be the Commission's dominant initiative over the next few years as we move through the stages of development, implementation, evaluation, and review."
Regarding the actual changes in regulation stemming from the white paper, Miller remarked, "The government has published a technical document outlining how it wants to change gambling regulation. However, for now, the existing rules and regulations remain in place until amendments are made as a result of consultations or legislation."
In related news, Caesars has reported positive results for the first quarter of 2023.
