Europe

Sarah Gardner, Acting Chief Executive (CEO) of the Gambling Commission, has committed to releasing the full dataset, evidence and methodology behind the decision to implement Financial Risk Assessments (FRAs) sometime this Autumn. The confirmation came as part of an official response to a series of questions raised by the cross-party Culture, Media and Sport Committee earlier in July,…

Adult Gaming Centres (AGCs) are set to feel the wrath of a new political agenda in the UK, as Andy Burnham has confirmed his support for the hospitality sector through a 20% cut in business rates, which will be funded by higher taxes on AGCs.

Just four days into his premiership, Burnham is already embarking on sweeping change, and he emphasised his belief that ‘can’t see all businesses as the same’.

Announcing the policy, he specifically picked out AGCs as causing social harm, grouping them in with vape shops as a specific element of the high street that offers very little to the community.

It remains unclear exactly what this tax will look like; however, as Manchester Mayor, Burnham lent his weight to campaigns led by local council members to halt the number of new AGCs opening and grant councils greater powers over planning permission.

Burnham could well be about to toe the line of the Social Market Foundation (SMF), which proposed a doubling of the Machine Games Duty on Cate..

A Gambling Commission consultation on where betting companies’ fines should go has drawn a sharp line between operators on one side and charitable organisations on other.

Between February-April 2026, the regulator consulted on whether regulatory settlements should be paid into the government’s Consolidated Fund. The Commission ultimately decided that money from enforcement actions should head to the fund, which is the UK government’s account with the Bank of England.

A total of 28 responses were given to the consultation. Gaming businesses and “a trade association”, presumably the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), “agreed strongly” with the Commission’s proposal that operator financial penalties be paid into the fund.

As it stands, gambling firms’ financial penalties do not need to go into the fund. The Commission found that charity and third sector organisations, members of the public, and those affected by gambling harm were strongly in favour of this remaining case.

Instead, cha..

The UK Gambling Commission has released an official statement regarding Evolution’s recent £4.75m settlement, identifying “serious weaknesses” in the game supplier’s AML oversight between December 2023-November 2024.

A review of Evolution’s UK licence was launched by the Commission in December 2024, following reports that its branded games were found on a number of unlicensed gambling websites unlawfully targeting British consumers.

The review concluded earlier this July after an 18-month period, with a £4.75m settlement to be paid by Evolution being agreed upon by both sides.

In between the one-year window noted above, the UK regulator found “large volumes of visits” by UK-based players to the unlicensed casinos, which were supplied with games by Evolution through a business relationship.

The Commission established that Evolution’s internal assessment procedures that detect money laundering and terrorist financing risks were not effective enough to flag down the infringements occu..