Gambling Commission closing in on Memoranda of Understanding with US regulators
Executive director Tim Miller rallies for greater international collaboration in speech at G2E conference
Gambling Commission (GC) executive director Tim Miller has confirmed the regulator is close to sealing several Memoranda of Understanding with various US counterparts.
Speaking at the G2E conference in Las Vegas, Miller championed the importance of international collaboration among regulators to help guide and inform best practices.
Taking the example of differing regulations in jurisdictions, Miller emphasised the need for regulators to understand global laws to prevent “uncooperative operators” from circumventing regimes.
He added that regulators tend to focus predominantly on operators in their own jurisdictions, which can lead to somewhat of a blind spot as among those licensed firms some may be operating illegally in other markets.
Alongside confirming ongoing discussions with US regulators, Miller said the GC had been playing a key role in strengthening links between the North American Gaming Regulators Association and the Gambling Regulators European Forum (GREF).
Speaking on the need for collaboration, Miller explained: “Gambling is a global industry with global operators. No regulator – regardless of their experience or scale – can be the world police for this industry.
“But by working together and committing to collaboration, we can make sure we each achieve the safer, fairer and crime free gambling that we want for our jurisdictions and for our consumers.
“If, as regulators, we are able to speak more often and with one voice, then it will enhance our ability to influence those outside the industry who need to play a more positive and direct role in tackling issues like illegal gambling.”
Miller added that by having a combined voice, regulators would be able to apply external pressure on third parties that play a role in black-market gambling.
The GC head remarked: “The collective voice of gambling regulators across the globe pressuring big tech companies, banks and even some other jurisdictions to address the role they play in facilitating illegal gambling, will be much harder to ignore.”