The Gambling Commission (GC) is set to begin the search for a new Executive Director after Tim Miller confirmed his exit from the regulator in September.
Miller said that he is looking forward to ‘working for myself’ beyond September, and hinted at a consultancy role working alongside ‘governments, regulators and organisations that are focused on supporting the development of well‑regulated and competitive markets’.
However, he leaves the GC at a time when there are a number of key decisions still to be made that will shape the future trajectory of the UK market.
Affordability checks
Arguably top of the agenda are financial risk assessments (FRAs), known by many as affordability checks.
The GC has been running a pilot study to determine the feasibility of implementing checks that would identify high-spending online gambling players who may be experiencing financial problems.
The commission says assessments would be automatically triggered if a customer spends a certain amount and would utilise data from credit reference agencies.
Included as one of the key reforms in the Gambling White Paper, FRAs have drawn significant criticism from the industry, as opponents have raised concerns over the reliability of the checks and questioned the GC’s assertions that 97% of players who trigger a check would receive a frictionless experience.
Many industry stakeholders believe customers could be reluctant to share their data and may instead wager with black market operators to avoid FRAs entirely.
The GC confirmed last month that the implementation of FRAs in the UK will be delayed, as further evidence still needs to be assessed. It has not been stated how long the delay will last.
A delay can only last for so long, however, and it will not be too long before the GC has to address the issue and confirm whether it plans to pursue the implementation of FRAs.
If FRAs are greenlit, the GC must prioritise gaining the confidence of operators in the checks to ensure a smooth rollout across the industry.
The industry has been staking its case on FRAs and the impact they could have on licensed operators and channelisation, with some blasting the measure as not being ‘fit for purpose’.
Following news of the delay, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) responded by welcoming the regulator’s decision to continue considering FRAs evidence, but called for additional work to guarantee that future proposals are ‘genuinely frictionless’.
Time to embrace crypto?
Something highlighted by Miller on a number of occasions has been the growing need for the regulator to address the rising popularity of crypto.
In line with the Financial Conduct Authority’s decision to pursue a nationwide framework for crypto payments, Miller confirmed at the Betting and Gaming Council’s AGM in February that an industry forum has been asked to consider how crypto regulation would work within the UK’s current gambling regulations.
He said: “We want to start looking at what the potential path forward would be to create a way for crypto assets to be used as a consumer payment option for licensed and regulated gambling here in Great Britain. At the Commission, we know that this is something where demand exists and will probably grow.
“There will certainly, I think, be significant challenges and risks to overcome, considering this topic. But I’m really keen that we approach this in the spirit of exploring the art of the possible, rather than starting from a position of finding all the reasons not to innovate.”
Once the FCA’s rules come into force in October 2027, there is no doubt that the industry will be clamouring to implement the payment method as a way to tap into a new demographic, meaning that the GC has to be proactive in ensuring that it is ready to shape its regulation in recognition of this change.
Black market battles
Though more of an ongoing concern as opposed to a loose end, Miller has been the public face of the GC’s fight against the black market.
In particular, he has been a vocal critic of the lack of action by big tech companies like Meta to address the proliferation of black market advertising on their platforms.
Speaking on the iGaming Daily podcast earlier this month, he said: “I find it almost incredible that you read in the news all of these kinds of tech billionaires competing to be the first one to put a man on Mars. They think they can deliver that. Yet, they seem to claim that they are incapable of stopping non-GamStop ads appearing on their platforms. I mean, that’s just nonsensical.
“If they don’t play their role – and frankly they’re not at the moment – it massively undermines the efforts that the rest of us are putting in place.”
The GC was awarded a further £26m by the government to fight the black market, and subsequently set up the Illegal Gambling Taskforce to foster greater collaboration between payments and social media platforms with enforcement agencies.
With forecasts predicting that the UK’s gambling black market will grow to more than £33bn by 2028, the GC needs to continue to be at the forefront of battling back against illicit operators to maintain the confidence of the regulated industry.
However, as UK gambling approaches such a pivotal crossroads, the industry’s regulator has shown a desire stronger collaboration with operators.
Closing in on industry feedback
The Gambling Commission (GC) is also seeking to improve and streamline its operations and is asking for industry feedback to address the burdens associated with gambling regulation.
As part of the Commission’s 2026/27 Business Plan, industry stakeholders are invited to share their ideas on how regulatory requirements, guidance, and operational processes could be streamlined or improved while maintaining strong consumer protections and upholding licensing objectives.
Stakeholders have until 25 September 2026 to submit their responses for review in the current business cycle. The subject will also be discussed at the upcoming Operators Engagement Forum on 2 July.
On the consultation, Miller commented: “We want to hear from the industry about where regulation can be improved or streamlined without compromising the protections that consumers rightly expect.
“This is an opportunity to identify tangible changes that support innovation while ensuring regulation remains effective, proportionate and focused on keeping gambling fair and safe.”
That being said, the commission explicitly states within the consultation that it would only revisit recently implemented policy changes following the realisation of strong evidence of adverse consequences.
Consultation scope and exceptions
In terms of the consultation’s scope, the GC stated that proposals can be directly linked to the commission’s own Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice requirements and ordinary code provisions, technical standards and Statements of Principles, or relate to the wider regulatory landscape or how multiple different requirements that apply to your business interact.
Proposals can be linked to current requirements or guidance that could be streamlined, rationalised, or no longer serve their intended purpose, in addition to proposals that could improve consumer gambling market experiences, keeping in mind licensing objectives.
Stakeholders can also mention ways in which the commission’s operational processes could be streamlined to reduce administrative costs, while suggestions will be accepted on how the GC could structure and communicate its regulatory requirements, guidance and expectations more effectively.
In regard to legislation, which sits outside the commission’s remit, the GC noted that it will ensure that such proposals that mention these issues will be passed on to the relevant bodies.
Additional reporting by Conor Porter
