Football Index Spreadbetting
Request
There is an email from 14/02/2020 which refers to the possibility of Football Index being spreadbetting. It asks for the FCA to provide details of if it was spreadbetting and if not why not. Can you please provide any internal correspondence relating to this being spread betting, please provide your initial email to the FCA querying this. Please also provide the response from the FCA.
Response
Thank you for your request which has been processed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).
In your email you have stated the following:
“There is an email from 14/02/2020 which refers to the possibility of Football Index being spreadbetting. It asks for the FCA to provide details of if it was spreadbetting and if not why not. Can you please provide any internal correspondence relating to this being spread betting, please provide your initial email to the FCA querying this. Please also provide the response from the FCA.”
We have been required to search the Commission’s systems to identify information that we hold that may fall within the scope of your request. These searches have produced a high volume of potentially relevant items and each document would need to be reviewed in order to extract the relevant material to fulfil your request.
Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) makes provision for public authorities to refuse requests for information where the cost of dealing with them would exceed the appropriate limit, which for public authorities, such as the Commission, is set at £450. This represents the estimated cost of one person spending 18 hours in determining whether the department holds the information, locating, retrieving and extracting the information.
We estimate, in order to identify, locate and retrieve the information relating to the above request, it would take in excess of 18 hours to determine appropriate material and locate, retrieve and extract any relevant information in reference to your request.
When a public authority applies the Section 12 exemption to a request, the FOIA guidance specifically states that a public authority should avoid providing any information found as a result of a search as it denies the requestor the right to express a preference as to which parts of the request they may wish to receive within the appropriate time limit. Guidance on the application of section 12 can be viewed here:
If you are able to refine your request, we may be able to narrow the number of records that we need to search.
Until we are able to process the search of the information you have requested, we are unable to ascertain if other exemptions will apply to any material identified which would also prevent disclosure.
Review of the decision
If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your Freedom of Information request you are entitled to an internal review of our decision. You should write to FOI Team, Gambling Commission, 4th floor, Victoria Square House, Victoria Square, Birmingham, B2 4BP or by reply to this email.
Please note, internal review requests should be made within 40 working days of the initial response. Requests made outside this timeframe will not be processed.
If you are not content with the outcome of our review, you may then apply directly to the Information Commissioner (ICO) for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have already exhausted the review procedure provided by the Gambling Commission.
It should be noted that if you wish to raise a complaint with the ICO about the Commission’s handling of your request for information, then you are required to do so within six weeks of receiving your final response or last substantive contact with us.
The ICO can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office (opens in a new tab), Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.
Information Management Team
Gambling Commission