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Advice to Government - Review of the Gambling Act 2005

Introduction

This is a HTML version of the introduction and summary to our advice. You can also view and download our Full advice to Government - Review of the Gambling Act 2005 (PDF), which includes our full advice and recommendations for each area.

All links and references to evidence sources correct at time of publication.

The Gambling Commission (the Commission) is the independent regulator of commercial gambling in Great Britain. As part of its role, the Commission provides formal statutory advice to the Secretary of State under Section 26 of the Gambling Act 2005 (opens in a new tab) (the Act).

From December 2020 to March 2021, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) conducted a Call for Evidence on the Gambling Act 2005 (opens in a new tab), the Act which sets out how gambling in Great Britain is regulated. The Secretary of State has asked the Commission to provide advice on Government policy and legislation in relation to gambling and specifically on each of the topics of the Review.

This document sets out the Commission's advice on each of the following topics:

  • effectiveness of the regulatory system
  • online protections, players and products
  • safer gambling and public health messaging
  • advertising, marketing and sponsorship
  • the Commission’s powers and resources
  • wider funding for research, prevention and treatment
  • consumer redress
  • age limits and verification
  • protections for young adults
  • land-based gambling.

The Government’s Review is of the Gambling Act 2005, which does not relate to the National Lottery. Therefore, the regulation of and any commentary on the National Lottery is outside of the scope of this advice.

In forming our advice, we have considered the widest range of evidence and applied a rigorous, consistent, and transparent evidence assurance process. The evidence assurance process enabled us to determine the strength of the evidence base and the weight that could be applied to the formulation of our recommendations.

Where there was a lack of conclusive evidence, we took the position that this did not automatically mean that conclusions could not be reached or that action should not be taken. In some of our recommendations we have applied the precautionary principle where the potential for harm existed. We have, however, been transparent in our advice where we are advocating a precautionary approach.

The Commission has also drawn on the input of our three advisory groups; the Lived Experience Advisory Panel's (LEAP) advice to the Gambling Commission (PDF) (opens in new tab), the Digital Advisory Panel's (DAP) advice to the Gambling Commission (PDF) (opens in new tab) and the Advisory Board for Safer Gambling's (ABSG) advice to the Gambling Commission (PDF) (opens in new tab).

Files

Some files may not be accessible for users of assistive technology. If you require a copy of the file in an accessible format contact us 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).

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The importance of the Review

Last updated: 27 April 2023

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