Gambling Commission is ready for 1 September
Press release
Date: 31 August
2007
Big changes are in store for Britain’s £91 billion* gambling
industry, when on Saturday 1 September the Gambling Commission
takes on new responsibilities and powers under the Gambling Act
2005. Operators will have to prove they can met tough new laws
aimed at making gambling more socially responsible under the Act’s
three objectives of keeping gambling crime free, making it fair and
open and protecting children and vulnerable people from being
harmed or exploited by gambling.
The Commission was established in October 2005 and took on many
of the existing responsibilities of its predecessor, the Gaming
Board of Great Britain. In addition, the Commission will now
regulate British-based remote gambling operators, arcades and the
betting industry.
From 1 September 2007 British-based operators who wish to
provide gambling must have a Gambling Commission licence. Licensed
operators who fail to observe the Commission’s licence conditions
are at risk of unlimited fines, prosecution and the removal of
their licence. The Commission also takes on new powers to prosecute
illegal gambling. A nationwide team of 50 compliance managers is in
place to help and make sure operators comply with the new
rules.
Since January 2007, gambling operators have been applying to the
Commission for an operating licence. Over 2,500 existing operators
completed their application ahead of the 27 April deadline to
ensure continuation under the new arrangements from 1
September.
All operators must abide by the Licence Conditions and Codes of
Practice that were published by the Commission on 1 June 2007 after
extensive consultation. They include requirements to ensure all
operators promote socially responsible gambling including:
- making information readily available to their customers on how
to gamble responsibly;
- a commitment to how they will contribute to the identification
and treatment of problem gamblers;
- putting in place policies and procedures to prevent underage
gambling by checking the age of apparently underage customers.
Gambling Commission Chairman Peter Dean commented: “We are a
nation of gamblers, even if some who admit to the occasional
flutter would shy away from that description. Parliament has
set the basic rules about what gambling is permitted. The Gambling
Commission’s task is to ensure that gambling is crime-free, fair
and safe. It is a cause of great satisfaction to me that we
now have the proper tools to do this within a modern system of
gambling regulation which is second to none in the world.”
* Gambling industry turnover in 2006 - £91.5 billion. HM
Revenues & Customs Bulletins, Annual Reports of Horse
Totalisator Board, DCMS estimates based on industry trends
Notes to editors
The Gambling Commission
The Gambling Commission's website contains further
information about the Commission and its activities including short
briefings on regulation on a sector by sector basis.
(link)
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport recently announced
that when Gambling Commission Chairman Peter Dean’s term comes to
an end on 31 December 2007, Brian Pomeroy will take over as
Chairman of the Commission.
The Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice set
out the rules which operators must observe and are available in
full on the Gambling Commission website.
The Gambling Commission regulates gambling in the public
interest. It does so by keeping crime out of gambling, by ensuring
that gambling is conducted fairly and openly, and by protecting
children and vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by
gambling.
The Gambling Commission already regulates casinos, bingo halls,
lotteries and gaming machines in Great Britain. From 1 September
2007 the Commission will regulate all gambling other than the
National Lottery and spread betting, which will remain,
respectively, the responsibility of the National Lottery Commission
and the Financial Services Authority.
In September 2007 the Commission expects to publish the British
Gambling Prevalence Study 2006, a large-scale nationally
representative survey of the nature and scale of gambling in
Britain.
Further information
The Department for Culture, Media and
Sport has published a media fact pack on the Gambling Act which
is available on its website.
For further information please contact: John Travers or Mark
Lepkowski on 0121 230 6700, or email communications@gamblingcommission.gov.uk.
Out of hours: 07950 572145 or 07852 124624