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Request date: 7 October 2024
This version was printed or saved on: 3 May 2025
Online version: https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/about-us/freedomofinformation/reporting-death-by-suicide
In April 2024 the Commission extended its operator licence conditions to include the reporting of deaths by suicide. It announced that: "The licensee must notify the Commission, as soon as reasonably practicable, if it knows or has reasonable cause to suspect that a person who has gambled with it has died by suicide, whether or not such suicide is known or suspected to be associated with gambling."
Can the Gambling Commission please provide information on :
How many suicides have been reported by licensees - in accordance with the guidance provided by the Commission - between 1 April 2024 to date;
When the Commission will publish this data and if not why;
Is the Commission sourcing this information from other sources
Thank you for your request which has been processed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).
In your email you have requested:
Firstly, it should be noted that the Gambling Commission do not investigate gambling related deaths or suicides; it is for the coroner to decide a cause of death. The Commission however will consider instances where there appears to be a regulatory breach. More information about our compliance and enforcement approach can be found on our website.
In 2019, the Gambling Commission published an analysis of existing data indicating the link between problem gambling and suicide, which was funded by GambleAware. As a result, the Commission approved a regulatory settlement project, under which the Samaritans and GamCare have been working together to develop more in-depth guidance for gambling businesses to sit alongside the Commission’s requirements for the gambling industry to ensure operators are responding appropriately to risks of harm to their consumers. This work builds on evidence from our compliance and enforcement casework.
As of 01/04/2024 a change in the LCCP came into effect that means operators are now required to inform us when they become aware of customer deaths if there is evidence of a link to suicide, such as contact from the customer warning that they may take their life. Where we identify that a suicide might have links to gambling, we will fully investigate the actions of the operator the person was gambling with.
The purpose of collecting information from gambling businesses is for regulatory purposes, in two key areas:
It is not the purpose of the provision to create a comprehensive or robust data set to establish the number of deaths by suicide.
When a report is made, we consider the information available and may undertake further enquiries to determine whether there is evidence of regulatory failure in the licensee’s processes for identifying customers who may be experiencing or are at risk of experiencing gambling harm, and acting to prevent that harm. Where we identify failings, we consider appropriate regulatory action on a case-by-case basis.
We do not and cannot use the information provided by gambling businesses to measure deaths by suicide associated with gambling or act as a proxy for such figures. This is because gambling businesses will not always be aware when a person who has gambled with them has died by suicide and so the reported figures may not be complete, and also because the figures will not be able to tell us which deaths by suicide were associated with the customer's gambling, which is a highly complex assessment beyond the remit of gambling businesses and the Commission.
Once the Commission has considered at least one full year of data, we will release information about the number of reports we have received (noting that this does not equate to the number of deaths). This will be for the purposes of transparency about our work following the introduction of this new requirement and as part of our commitment to review the requirement once it had been implemented to continue to assess its proportionality and value for regulatory purposes.
Section 22(1) of the FOIA (“information that is intended to be published in the future”) provides that information is exempt if:
a) the information is held by the public authority with a view to its publication, by the authority or any other person, at some future date (whether determined or not),
b) the information was already held with a view to such publication at the time when the request for information was made,
This is a qualified exemption, therefore, the Commission must consider whether the public interest in maintaining the exemption is greater than the public interest in disclosing the requested information.
Arguments in favour of disclosure
Arguments in favour of maintaining the exemption
Weighing the balance
Having considered the above factors, the Commission is of the view that the balance of the public interest lies in maintaining the exemption. We recognise that there is a public interest in promoting the transparency and accountability of public authorities in a timely manner However, there is no outstanding public interest in releasing this information so soon after the introduction of this LCCP reporting requirement.
Taking into consideration the necessary preparation and administration involved in disclosing information of this nature, prior to the intended publication, without any accompanying context and commentary, we consider that our publication timetable is reasonable.
Finally, where you have enquired about the Commission sourcing this information from other sources; the Commission does not actively source this type of information from anywhere else. However, as the industry regulator, our role is to consider if a gambling business has breached their licence conditions and we will take regulatory action where appropriate. We use any information received from a range of places, including from gambling customers, and other third parties to build cases against gambling businesses. Information provided to us helps inform our work to raise gambling industry standards and make gambling fairer and safer.
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