Parliamentary group launches inquiry into competence of the Gambling Commission

The Gambling Commission is set to be the subject of an inquiry into its competence and effectiveness amid claims that operators are "too scared" to go public with their concerns about the industry regulator.

The Parliamentary All Party Betting & Gaming Group (APBGG) said that it had launched the investigation after receiving numerous criticisms of the commission from members of the industry.

It added that comments made about the Gambling Commission, some highly critical, in reports issued by the Public Accounts Committee, National Audit Office and House of Lords Select Committee in 2020 did not cover the full breadth of the allegations it has heard made against it.

The inquiry comes at a time the role of the Gambling Commission is one of the areas being examined in the government's review of the 2005 Gambling Act.

Scott Benton MP: industry has 'very serious' concerns

The APBGG's co-chair Scott Benton MP said it was "essential that the key player in our industry is challenged over its actions".

He added: "For a number of years, industry members have come to us and complained about the activities of the commission. They have been too scared to go public with their concerns, some even about the very legality of the commission's undertakings, due to the commission’s power over them.

"As they have no formal method of complaint apart from to the commission itself, we feel it is our duty to provide a conduit for legitimate criticism of the regulator.

"We are pleased that the new interim CEO [Andrew Rhodes] has been given the job of 'rebooting' the regulator, we hope that the findings of our investigation will help him and DCMS answer some very serious concerns that the industry has. All the British gambling industry wants is a competent and effective regulator."

The APBGG has said it wants to hear from operators who have felt the commission has acted beyond the powers of a regulator, in breach of the regulator's code and for evidence that it has provided a level of service that is "either of poor quality and/or incompetently delivered".

In response to the inquiry, a Gambling Commission spokesperson said: "The Gambling Commission is committed to make gambling fairer, safer and crime-free.

"To achieve this we regularly and openly engage with parliamentarians, on both the government’s Gambling Act review, which we support as statutory advisor to the secretary of state for DCMS, and to discuss a range of topics within our regulatory purview with individuals and groups, including the APPG on Betting and Gaming."

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