GC confirms first tranche of white paper consultations to be published this month
UK regulator to publish four consultations in July including financial risk checks as it also details topics to be involved in second tranche
The Gambling Commission (GC) has confirmed it will publish its first tranche of its Gambling Act review consultations later this month, including the much-maligned affordability checks.
As part of its work following the publication of the white paper into the Gambling Act 2005 review in April, the GC is working through more than 60 areas of changes that could possibly be implemented.
Last month, GC deputy CEO Sarah Gardener revealed the first four topics explored would be age verification in retail premises, financial risk and vulnerability checks, cross-selling and the removal of features which increase play intensity.
The four consultations will also be joined by two non-white paper work areas in the shape of rules around personal management licences and procedures for regulatory panels.
The GC also revealed the topics that will be involved in the second tranche in October. These will include socially responsible inducements and gambling management tools.
As part of the update, the GC’s executive director Tim Miller also lifted the lid on the work the regulator was doing with government across gambling policy.
He said: “We will also continue work with the [Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport] to monitor the progress of industry to deliver on their voluntary commitments, such as the ombudsman and the single customer view.”
Miller once again stressed that the process to work through the points raised by the white paper would take time but moved to assure stakeholders the GC was working on it as a top priority.
He added: “Full implementation of the review will be a job of several years, especially when you include evaluating the impact of any changes. But that doesn’t mean we don’t want to progress things as quickly as possible. We are determined to make progress at speed.
“Implementing the Gambling Act Review is a key part of our work to make gambling safer, fairer and crime free over the next few years. But so is our day-to-day work of ensuring compliance with our rules. So whilst the work on implementation picks up momentum, rest assured we won’t be slowing down on protecting consumers across Great Britain either.”