Licensing Expert

Last month the Gambling Commission announced the results of its review of complaints processes in the gambling industry, carried out one year after the introduction of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme. As matters stand, ADR providers can look only at disputes about the outcome of a gambling transaction, rather than the way a gambling business is being run, which …

In last month’s article for SBC News, I wrote about the Gambling Commission’s consultation “Changes to our enforcement strategy: putting the consumer first” that runs until 21 April 2017. I referred to recent speeches given by the Commission’s Chief Executive Sarah Harrison in November and February that, foreshadowing the Commission’s new enforcement mission statement, set out its reinforced focus on …

Some of you may remember “The Enforcer”, the third in the Dirty Harry film series, starring Clint Eastwood as Inspector “Dirty” Harry Callahan. The critic’s reviews were initially poor – Eastwood was named “Worst Actor of the Year” by the Harvard Lampoon – but the film was a major commercial success. Now, 41 years later, Sarah Harrison, Chief Executive of …

In his January 3rd posting “Gambling Commission justifies remote licence fee increases” Andy McCarron MD of SBC referred to the changes to the Commission’s annual fee structure that will come into effect from April this year. Those changes were announced in the DCMS “Proposals for Gambling Commission fees from April 2017 – consultation response” document that was published just prior …

Although they may not fully appreciate it, under British gambling laws, affiliates presently occupy a privileged position. Despite them providing marketing services designed to drive customer traffic to licensed betting websites, the Gambling Commission does not regard them as falling within the statutory definition of a betting intermediary, ie “a person who provides a service designed to facilitate the making …

Clifton Davies co-founder David Clifton has a look at the increasing regulatory scrutiny on the gambling industry and warns there may be more to come.  My “Licensing Expert” article last month posed the question whether a regulatory crackdown on gambling advertising was around the corner. We now know at least part of the answer. The Department for Culture Media & …

Newspaper reports over the last week have focused on suggestions that Theresa May’s government is shifting its stance on gambling advertising, with so far unsubstantiated, but supposedly well-informed, rumours that we could see a blanket ban on all gambling advertisements before the 9pm TV watershed and incorporation of gambling advertising practices within the ongoing FOBT review. This has followed: comment …

In its Corporate Business Plan for April 2016 to March 2017, about which I wrote in May – see http://www.sbcnews.co.uk/features/comment  – the Gambling Commission made clear that: amongst its strategic objectives was to empower and protect consumers and to raise standards across all gambling sectors to ensure safe and fair play for consumers and wider public confidence in the integrity of …