Evaluation update – February 2026
Commission Senior Policy Evaluation Manager Richard Sutcliffe provides an update on the evaluation of a sub-set of policies forming part of the Gambling Act Review.
Posted 17 February 2026 by Richard Sutcliffe
In partnership with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the Gambling Commission are working with the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) to conduct an evaluation of a sub-set of policies forming part of the Gambling Act Review (GAR). We’re doing this to build the evidence base on gambling regulation and to meet our strategic commitment to better evaluate the impact of our policies. This evaluation work will not give us the definitive position on the impact of the Gambling Act Review as a whole; it is important that further monitoring and evaluation work continues beyond the scope of this project. This blog provides stakeholders with an update regarding this work, following publication of the evaluation plan (opens in new tab) in December 2024 and a previous blog post in May 2025.
We thank all those who have contributed to the evaluation in some way, from individual consumers to operators who have answered our requests to complete surveys, participated in operator interviews and shared data with the Commission or with NatCen. We would also like to thank the Lived Experience Panel and Evaluation Advisory Group, who have been independently appointed by NatCen to provide guidance and technical advice respectively.
The evaluation is on track to deliver emerging insights into the implementation and impact of several key GAR policies by the end of 2026. We’ve had to prioritise which policies to include at this point in time, based on the implementation timeline and the scope of the evaluation. Policies within this phase of evaluation work include Online Slots Stake limits, Financial Vulnerability Checks, changes to Direct Marketing, among others. The evaluation uses a mixed–methods approach, with activities completed to date including the following:
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This month, the evaluation will move into a final stage of evidence gathering, both in terms of research directly with consumers as well as with operators – whose contributions are key to understanding the outcomes and impacts from implementing GAR policies.
We understand that participation in this type of research requires considerable time and effort and welcome the feedback received so far. It is critically important, however, that NatCen continue to receive views, data and insights from all stakeholders affected by these policy changes. NatCen have refreshed and are simplifying how stakeholders can engage with the remaining evaluation research. This is an opportunity to reflect on, and share experiences of GAR policy changes in terms of consumer impact, commercial impact and learning for future policy change.
Data and insight provided by participants is securely held and managed by NatCen, and the identity of participants will be protected. Any data shared with the Commission, DCMS, or included in the final report, will be aggregated and/or anonymised.
We plan to publish a report summarising the evidence gathered on in-scope policies by the end of 2026. This report, as one part of the wider research and evidence base, will inform future policy making and also help shape future monitoring and evaluation efforts around the Gambling Act Review.
Your insights matter and your participation helps us understand the real-world impact of Gambling Act Review policies. Following the final round of data collection, NatCen will bring together stakeholders to consider the evidence - informing the analysis. If you’d like to talk to us about evaluation at the Gambling Commission, please contact us at evaluation@gamblingcommission.gov.uk.
If you have specific questions concerning the evaluation of the Gambling Act Review, you can contact NatCen at GARevaluation@natcen.ac.uk.