Business plan and budget 2025 to 2026
The milestones we plan to complete within the business plan 2025 to 2026.
Introduction
Foreword from Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive Officer
For the Gambling Commission, 2025 to 2026 represents the second year of our 3-year Corporate Strategy: Gambling Regulation in a Digital Age. As such this year’s Business Plan builds on the successes achieved through 2024 to 2025 and continues to focus on improving gambling regulation for all.
The past year has been focused on scoping out what the delivery of our ambitious Corporate Strategy looks like for the Commission, licensees, and consumers, as well equipping our own colleagues with the tools they need. This year will see us implementing many of the areas we’ve identified as high priority, and the final year of our Corporate Strategy will see a core focus on delivery.
This past year we have made great strides within areas such as illegal market disruption, implementation of the Gambling Act Review (GAR) white paper recommendations, publication of our first Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) annual report, regulating the first year of the Fourth National Lottery licence under its new operator and through our research and insights work we’ve engaged with over 13,000 people this year.
I won’t dwell on our achievements here, as our annual report for 2024 to 2025 will cover these in more detail, but needless to say – I am proud of the commitment, focus and innovation the Commission has shown over the past year.
As we progress through 2025 and into 2026, we’re navigating an ever-evolving landscape in terms of gambling innovation – the increasingly globalised nature of the industry, the evolution of gambling products and services, and the potential use cases for Artificial Intelligence. We're seeing growth in headline industry Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) - with some land-based sectors now growing beyond pre-Covid19 levels. And we’re monitoring that licensees treat consumers fairly and openly, ensuring compliance at the earliest opportunity, and protecting Great British consumers from the illegal gambling market which also supports the growth of legal, compliant businesses.
Our plans for the upcoming business year are consistent with the Government’s growth mission and recent announcements on the role of regulation in economic growth. We share the view that enabling a growing gambling sector is compatible with creating a safer and fairer one. We have a demonstrable track record in this area. In line with our duties under the Gambling Act (2005) we will continue to permit gambling where it is reasonably consistent with the Licensing Objectives. We will also continue to regulate the National Lottery in accordance with our duties including to maximise returns to good causes.
During the upcoming business year we will continue to work with all stakeholders to balance the industry’s need to meet the licensing objectives whilst continuing to provide the products and services that consumers enjoy.
To do this, we’re going to implement changes to how we gather and use data, further enhancing our capability to understand trends in consumer protection. This year will mark the second year of the GSGB Annual Report, but it is accompanied by a number of data initiatives such as our regular feed of operator core data (ROCD) project. The vast data we draw on will lead to better evidence, and – ultimately - better regulation for all.
We want to minimise the burden on licensees by introducing more proactive operator engagement activities to raise standards and drive compliance, continue to improve our licensee engagement and implement new operational systems and processes.
We will seek to improve transparency to consumers on the reasons for identity checks or restrictions, particularly where these take place later in the consumer journey, such as on withdrawals – a topic on which we see the most consumer complaints year on year.
We have an ambitious disruption plan for tackling illegal gambling operators, as we grow our investigative capability, working side by side with other law enforcement agencies and jurisdictions. And with the Crime and Policing Bill making its way through Parliament this session, we hope to see greater powers granted to us.
While gambling is a leisure pursuit for most, we will continue to make sure that those most at risk of harm are protected. That’s why we’ll put due consideration into the findings of the GAR financial risk assessments pilot and data collection exercise and publish final decisions on our approach to implementing Financial Risk Assessments.
To make all this possible, and to ensure sufficient funding for the future, we will be launching a fees review this year, in line with the commitment to review our funding within the white paper. The Commission regulates a £15.6 billion GGY industry, and we must make sure we have the resources we need to be effective in making sure gambling is safe, fair and crime free – now and into the future. We will also start to undertake our role in the collection of the Statutory Levy, following Department for Culture Media and Sport’s consultation and subsequent passing of legislation.
Next pageOur planned activity
Last updated: 7 April 2025
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