Concluded enforcement cases

Request

Can you give a number of enforcement cases that have concluded since 2019? Can you give a total of financial penalties and regulatory settlements since 2019? Can you give a list/spreadsheet of what makes up these numbers.

Response

Thank you for your request which has been processed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).

In your email you have requested:

1. Can you give a number of enforcement cases that have concluded since 2019?
2. Can you give a total of financial penalties and regulatory settlements since 2019?
3. Can you give a list/spreadsheet of what makes up these numbers.

Since 2019, the Gambling Commission Enforcement Team have closed approximately 985 cases. Please note that this figure has been drawn from our current case management tool. The way in which this information has been recorded has changed over the time period you have requested. As such, we provide this figure with the caveat that this is an approximation.

We publish a list of regulatory actions taken by the Commission for the last three years. Section 21 of the FOIA provides that information is exempt where it is reasonably accessible elsewhere. As such, part of the information you have requested in questions two and three of your request can be viewed on the Gambling Commission website:

Regulatory actions

Please see the linked spreadsheet containing the more historic information falling within the scope of parts two on three of your request.

This information is collated on a rolling basis as the sanctions are removed from the Commission website, following the three-year period.

Personal information relating to identifiable individuals has been redacted from the attachment.  

The Data Protection Act 2018 requires the processing of personal data to be fair and lawful. The Commission considers that it would be disproportionate for us to publicly disclose the personal data of licensees beyond the three-year publication period of any sanctions they have been subject to. There is no legitimate expectation that the personal information of these individuals will be disclosed in the context in which it is held.  

On balance, there is no legitimate public interest in disclosing this information and it would not be fair to do so.  This information is therefore exempt under section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.  

For context, it should be noted that the Gambling Commission only publish details of closed Enforcement cases where we have engaged our formal regulatory powers. Cases can be closed for a variety of other reasons including no further action being taken or referral to another body, such as law enforcement. The Enforcement cases may also include where we have taken action against unlicensed operators. The Gambling Commission does not provide comment on any specific regulatory work unless it is in the public interest to do so.

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

Files

Some files may be not be accessible for users of assistive technology. If you require a copy of the file in an accessible format contact us (opens in new tab) with details of what you require. It would help us to know what technology you use and the required format.

PDF Files Some PDF files cannot be displayed in a browser, you will see a message saying "Please wait...". If you see this message, you will need to download the file and open it in Adobe Acrobat Reader (opens in a new tab).