Additional information about our role and remit
Sensitive content warning
This webpage refers to the sensitive topic of suicide. Please consider whether you are comfortable with accessing this section of the website.
We recognise that it can be difficult to read about suicide. If you are affected by the content covered in this information and need support, then help is available from a range of organisations. We have included the following links to some sources of support:
National Gambling Helpline (opens in new tab)
Telephone: 0808 8020 133
NHS - Help for problems with gambling (opens in new tab)
Samaritans (opens in new tab)
Telephone: 116 123
This section of our website sets out more detailed information about our regulatory role and remit in relation to our wider functions as well as in relation to reports of death by suicide.
The Gambling Act
The Gambling Commission is the national regulator for commercial gambling in Great Britain. We are an arms-length body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). We were set up under the Gambling Act 2005 (the Act).
The primary legislation governing gambling (excluding the National Lottery) is the Gambling Act 2005 (as amended) (the Act). The Act sets out the licensing, compliance and enforcement framework for gambling licensees who provide facilities for gambling to consumers in Great Britain, as well as for individuals working within the gambling industry.
The licensing objectives and what we take into account
In performing our role as regulator, we must aim to pursue, and wherever appropriate have regard to, the licensing objectives and to permit gambling in so far as we think it reasonably consistent with pursuit of the licensing objectives.
The licensing objectives, set out in the Act, are:
“a) preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime or disorder, or being used to support crime,
b) ensuring that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way; and
c) protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling.”
We regulate gambling in the interests of consumers and the wider public. In doing so we work with gambling licensees and other stakeholders and ensure that we take into account:
- the need to protect consumers and the wider public
- the need to maintain public confidence in the gambling industry and ourselves as regulator
- the importance of declaring and upholding proper standards of conduct and competence by licence holders.
Our principal functions
Some of our principal functions under the Act include:
a. Licensing gambling licensees by way of operating licences under the Act. Consideration of an application for an operating licence involves detailed analysis of the applicant’s suitability to carry on the licensed activities, including its integrity, competence and financial circumstances. Key to this is its systems for protecting vulnerable people and ability to meet the requirements of the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP).
b. The preparation, publication, and review, of a statement that sets out the principles which will govern the exercise of our functions, and, in particular, explains how such principles will assist us in meeting our licensing objectives. We publish a number of key documents that set out the responsibilities of those that hold operating or personal licences and our approach in regulating the gambling sector. The suite of documents includes, for example, Statement of Principles for Licensing and Regulation, Licensing, Compliance and Enforcement Policy Statement, Indicative Sanctions Guidance and Statement of Principles for Determining Financial Penalties.
c. Setting the rules with which gambling licensees must comply. The majority of these rules take the form of licence conditions and are set out in the LCCP. Through the LCCP, we set out important duties for gambling licensees, including duties in relation to the protection of vulnerable persons. For example, the LCCP includes duties in respect of advertising of gambling, customer interaction when indicators of harm are present, and the provision of facilities for customers to self-exclude from gambling. This document is kept under review and updated periodically.
d. Undertaking activities for the purpose of assessing compliance with the LCCP, compliance with requirements of the Act, or whether an offence has been committed under the Act.
e. Taking regulatory action against operating or personal licence holders by way of exercising our powers to start a licence review under section 116. Following which we may issue a formal warning, attach, remove or amend a licence condition, suspend or revoke a licence, and impose a financial penalty.
f. The power to investigate whether an offence has been committed under the Act, and to pursue criminal proceedings if this is the case.
We undertake activities for the purpose of assessing compliance with the LCCP and the Act and can begin regulatory action where we are concerned that there has been non-compliance. We may learn of potential non-compliance through corporate assessments of gambling licensees, compliance assessments, visits to licensed premises, notifications from licensing authorities who regulate premises at local level, complaints and other forms of information.
Death by suicide reporting
Very sadly, we may be made aware of a death by suicide. This could be through gambling licensees or other sources, such as bereaved families and friends or through agencies like the police or Coroner’s Office.
As of 1 April 2024, a new, specific requirement in the LCCP came into force that requires gambling licensees to inform us when they become aware that a person who has gambled with them has died by suicide, whether or not the death was associated with gambling. Our expectation was always that gambling businesses should notify us when they become aware that a person who had gambled with them has died by suicide. This enables us to assess whether regulatory intervention is required and helps to inform our ongoing consideration of policy. While some gambling businesses have notified us in this way in the past, it was not done consistently.
The purpose of collecting information from gambling licensees is for regulatory purposes, in two key areas:
- to inform our compliance and enforcement work
- to inform regulatory policy consideration (for example, on customer interaction, customer use of gambling management tools and knowledge of gambling across multiple gambling licensees).
It is not the purpose of the requirement to create a comprehensive or robust data set to establish the number of deaths by suicide and any information we make available about the levels of reporting under this requirement must not be used as a proxy for such data.
The requirement provides a further mechanism by which information must be notified to us and is in place to help us in considering matters in line with our current processes. Our focus must be on potential regulatory failings and establishing whether the gambling licensee has complied with the regulatory regime.
We can’t investigate or reach a conclusion as to the cause of a person’s death, in particular whether a customer’s gambling activities were a cause of death. Any such conclusion is for determination by the relevant authorities, for example the police or a Coroner following an inquest.
When a report is made, we consider the information available and, depending on the evidence, we may undertake further enquiries to determine whether there is sufficient evidence of regulatory failure in the gambling licensee’s processes. For example, this could be in relation to failing to identify customers who may be experiencing or are at risk of experiencing gambling harm and failing to act to prevent that harm. Where we identify failings, we consider what regulatory action may be appropriate.
Some reports will not lead to an investigation. This could be for a number of reasons. For example, gambling licensees are required to report the death by suicide of a person who has gambled with them, regardless of whether the death related to gambling, and it may be evident that the case does not relate to any potential regulatory failure of a gambling licensee. Other reports may be inaccurate or lack important information such as the person’s name, for example in relation to non-remote gambling customers where the name of the customer may not be known. There may be insufficient evidence of regulatory failure. We are unlikely to take regulatory action against gambling licensees who have already been subject to regulatory action for the same breach in the same period. Some cases reported to us may not be suitable for investigation due to the passage of time since the incident occurred and lack of available evidence.
We recognise that it can be difficult to read about suicide. If you are affected by the content covered in this information and need support, then help is available from a range of organisations. We have included the following links to some sources of support:
National Gambling Helpline (opens in new tab)
Telephone: 0808 8020 133
NHS - Help for problems with gambling (opens in new tab)
Samaritans (opens in new tab)
Telephone: 116 123
What we don't regulate
Last updated: 3 November 2025
Show updates to this content
No changes to show.