Detailed financial assessment provided by the Forensic Accountant

Request

Information contained within the "detailed financial assessment" that was provided by the forensic accountant employed by the Gambling Commission.

Response

I am writing to you following your correspondence of 1 May 2024, in which you included a request which has been processed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).

In your letter you requested the information contained within the "detailed financial assessment" that was provided by the forensic accountant employed by the Gambling Commission.

I can confirm that the Commission holds information relevant to your request, though it does not hold information in one single document titled detailed financial assessment’. The Commission has published ‘email correspondence relating to Betindex between the forensic accountant assigned to the case and other staff members of the gambling commission’ in response to previous requests for information.

This disclosure (whilst subject to exemptions) includes any information the Commission holds falling within the scope of your request.

In addition , the Commission has previously published material collated as part of the assessment of the Bet Index business model that was undertaken. The forensic accountant employed by the Gambling Commission would have contributed to these records.

Section 21 of the FOIA provides that information is exempt where it is reasonably accessible elsewhere. This information, which has previously been disclosed, can be viewed on the Commission’s website, here:

• Correspondence relating to football index and/or betindex

• Email attachments to correspondence relating to Betindex

• BetIndex - PowerPoint slides

• BetIndex - Records (audio or video) of financial assessment

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