Will self-appointed Gambling Policy Commission find favour with Labour?

There’s another new player in town in the British gambling sector, and it believes the industry is in dire need of an upgrade – a legislative one, for that matter. The Gambling Policy Commission (GPC) has one goal: to conduct an independent review of the 2005 Gambling Act, though as it is not a government body it will have no direct bearing on public policy. Its review is more a move to shape debate and influence government decision-making, though it has already been picked up by some elements of the press and in Google’s famously reliable AI overviews as the beginning of the UK reviewing its legislation. The GPC states that it is independent of government, political parties, regulators and the industry. Its seed funding, however, comes from pro-gambler-turned-gambling reform advocate Derek Webb, who has also founded advocacy groups Gambling with Lives (GWL) and the Campaign to End Gambling Advertising (CEGA). GPC wants all eyes on gambling The GPC’s main contention is that the 2005 Gambling Act is now outdated given the much more digitally-oriented nature of the market in 2026 – but wasn’t bringing the legislation up to date the purpose of the 2020-2023 Gambling Act review? The three-year government review, conducted by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), culminated in the publication of a White Paper in April 2023. Its recommendations, which covered areas such as affordability, are still being implemented. “The last comprehensive independent review of gambling legislation was undertaken a quarter of a century ago,” said Professor Jagjit Chadha, Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge and the newly appointed Chair of the newly created GPC. “Since then, both the gambling market and the wider technological environment have changed considerably.” This statement isn’t entirely accurate, because as mentioned the Gambling Act was reviewed by the government just three years ago – the GPC doesn’t seem to think this review was independent enough, however. “Our purpose is to examine the evidence carefully and independently: to understand how the existing framework has operated, assess the impact of more recent reforms, and consider what legislative and regulatory framework will be appropriate for the years ahead.” To get its review underway, the GPC has made a call for evidence. Any interested stakeholders have the option to submit evidence via the GPC’s website by 12 February 2027. All submissions will then be published. “We want to hear from people and organisations with experience, evidence and expertise across all sides of this debate,” Chadha added. The GPC intends to get a broad societal view of the British gambling sector, with its members having been advisors to the Bank of England, HM Treasury, the still-young Independent Football Regulator (IFR) and the Social Mobility Commission (SMC). Notably, however, no one from the gambling industry is represented on the Commission, likely due to the new organisation wanting to be both independent of the government but also of the industry and market it is reviewing. However, could the lack of an industry voice be something which may lay the foundations for some kind of lobbying showdown between the two? We’ll just have to wait and see on that front… Will another review take off? The GPC’s membership contains voices many in the gambling industry will be familiar with. Dr James Noyes, a Senior Fellow at the Social Market Foundation (SMF) think tank, was vocally in favour of affordability checks, and his think tank made the case for the highest increases in gambling tax ahead of both the 2025 and 2026 budgets. On the other hand, there could still be some room for the industry to find some sympathetic voices on some issues. Board member Thomas Savill is the Director of Plumpton Racecourse, for example, though he is definitely the odd one out among academics and economists, public health professionals, and a Guardian football journalist. With industry representation limited to a figure from horse racing, industry stakeholders will be left wondering how fair a hearing they will get from this team of Academic Avengers. So the big follow up question is, will this Commission’s review be taken on board? The British government does seem to have some sympathies with gambling law reform causes, like taking aim at Adult Gaming Centres (AGCs). The government has increased business rates on AGCs to pay for a rate cut for other hospitality businesses, has just increased Machine Games Duty (MGD) to 25%, and backed Labour MP Dawn Butler’s campaign to remove the ‘Aim to Permit’ licensing rule. The faces behind the new GPC have timed its launch well. If there’s ever a government that would be open to taking another look at how British gambling legislation can be updated, it would be this one.