UK

iGaming Daily: NHS issues festive warning and late M&A moves

Ahead of the festive season, NHS England warned of a significant increase in patient care demands for gambling addiction fulled by gambling adverts over the Christmas period. Dr Matt Gaskell, Head of NHS Northern Gambling Service, viewed the festive period as a “perfect storm of temptation” for relapses given the raft of football, darts and horse racing fixtures…

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UKGC reviewing Evolution’s UK licence due to unlicensed activity

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has launched a review into Evolution Malta Limited regarding its operating licence in the UK market, according to a statement from the igaming supplier.

The review has been initiated under Section 116 of the Gambling Act 2005 after the Commission identified Evolution games as “being accessible from the UK through operators not holding a Commission license”.

A range of outcomes is possible from the review, including no action being taken, conditions being imposed on the licence, financial sanction, suspension and revocation of Evolution’s licence to operate.

Within its statement, Evolution said it is cooperating with the UKGC to resolve the matter.

“Evolution is cooperating fully with the Commission and has taken requested immediate actions to remedy the situation,” the supplier said.

“Games on the identified websites not holding a Commission license have been made unavailable from the UK. Evolution continues to actively work with the Commission to..

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Charles Counsell appointed as interim Chair of UK Gambling Commission

The UK Government’s Secretary of State has appointed Charles Counsell as interim Chair of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC).

Serving a nine-month term as interim Chair from 1 February 2025, Counsell will be replacing Marcus Boyle, who will be stepping down as Chair at the end of January next year.

Counsell has been a Senior Independent Director for the UKGC since April 2024. Previously, he was the CEO of The Pensions Regulator from April 2019 to March 2023.

During his time at The Pensions Regulator, Counsell helped to develop a corporate strategy to make the pension saver a priority for the organisation’s work, in addition to delivering the regulator’s first Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Climate Change strategies.

He has also served as CEO of the Money Advice Service and Executive Director of Automatic Enrolment at The Pensions Regulator.

Leaving the UKGC at the end of next month, Boyle has been Chair of the Commission since September 2021. His term was initiall..

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Watch again: GambleAware Annual Conference 2024

If you missed yesterday’s GambleAware Annual Conference, you can watch the whole seven hours here. Or jump to the bits that interest you. Highlights include Gambling Minister Baroness Twycross explaining the next steps with the RET Levy and threatening new measures on advertising; and Gambling Commission Executive Director Tim Miller making a plea for industry…

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Gambling Commission issues rallying call for greater collaboration 

Gambling Commission Executive Director Tim Miller used his speech at the GambleAware conference in London to encourage collaboration between all parts of the gambling ecosystem, while chastising those who sow division and misuse statistics for political gain. Miller was speaking at GambleAware’s annual conference, which brought together the player protection community to discuss the outcome…

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UK levy reaction: From triumph to despair

Campaigners claimed levy doesn’t go far enough, while treatment providers are concerned at the lack of a prevention commissioner, and independence remains a key concern “Of all the policies set out in the previous government’s white paper, this is the most significant and ill-considered,” Regulus Partners’ Dan Waugh told the Player Protection Hub. “It effectively…

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Gambling Commission Chair Marcus Boyle to step down

The UK Gambling Commission has announced that Marcus Boyle will step down as Chair at the end of January next year.

With his term set to conclude on 31 January 2025, the UKGC thanked Boyle for his service as Chair in a statement on its website.

He has held the role of Chair at the Commission since 5 September 2021 when he took over from Bill Moyes, who was appointed to the position in 2017. Boyle’s term as Chair was initially set to expire on 4 September 2026.

The UKGC said that Boyle has led the Commission over the past three years as changes have occurred in the UK gambling industry and to its regulations.

These changes include the awarding of the fourth National Lottery licence, the ongoing Gambling Act Review and White Paper implementations and the recruitment of a new Board of Commissioners.

In addition, the Commission stated it is “in a strong position and with a clearly defined path forward” following the April 2024 publication of its Corporate Strategy 2024 to 2027, expl..

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Andrew Rhodes: UK gambling industry is entering a new era

It’s been a long year for the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), marked by a variety of regulatory implementations and a deepened focus on fostering better support for operators. However, work is just picking up pace, with 2024 laying the foundations of what will be a more mature and refined UK market in the coming years.  This was…

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UKGC: Gambling Harms Action Lab can help ‘identify new ways to reduce gambling harms’

Tim Miller, Executive Director at the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), has stated that the Gambling Harms Action Lab will help collaborative efforts “to develop and improve existing practice and identify new ways to reduce gambling harms”.

A Money and Mental Health Policy Institute initiative, the Gambling Harms Action Lab is a three-year programme that will see the institute work with current account providers to improve gambling support for their customers. The initiative was launched at an event hosted by the institute on 5 November, with Miller speaking at the event.

The UKGC Director noted that the Action Lab will help to bring structure and focus to collaborative gambling harm support efforts between Money and Mental Health, the UKGC and the financial services industry.

Miller said: “I am delighted to be here for the launch of the Gambling Harms Action Lab. A few years ago Helen and I met in a coffee shop to talk about the potential positive role that the financial services ind..

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