The Gambling Commission (UK)
The Gambling Commission was set up under the Gambling Act 2005 (opens in new tab). It is our responsibility to regulate the individuals and businesses that provide gambling in Great Britain, including the National Lottery.
We work in partnership with licensing authorities to ensure gambling businesses are compliant in order to make gambling safer and fairer.
Our mission
Our mission is to make gambling fairer and safer. We do that by licensing and regulating in the public interest and providing advice and guidance.
Our vision
We want a fair and safe gambling market where all consumers and the interests of the wider public are protected.
Our aspirations for consumers
We want consumers to be:
- supported to gamble safely and protected from harm
- empowered to make informed choices about gambling
- fully informed of, and able to make use of, their rights
- free to enjoy gambling and to feel confident that they will be treated fairly
- aware of the risks and clear about when and how to seek help or redress
- able to differentiate between gambling businesses in a competitive market on the basis of customer care and values.
Our aspirations for licence holders
We expect licenced businesses, those who lead them and who hold personal licences to be able to demonstrate through their actions and the outcomes they deliver that they:
- prioritise a culture of compliance and commitment to doing the right thing for consumers that resonates at all levels of the business
- work to continuously raise standards and treat consumers fairly
- work collaboratively with each other to reduce the risk of harm from gambling
- invest in technology to identify risks and intervene effectively to prevent crime and consumer harm
- innovate and evaluate what works to make gambling products and services safer by design
- actively identify and appropriately manage risk and emerging risk.
Our approach to licensing, regulating and advising
We will:
- continue to be independent and evidence-led
- take a targeted and innovative approach to regulating, consistent with our statutory objectives
- intervene and use our powers proportionately to achieve our goal of making gambling fairer and safer
- build effective partnerships internationally, as well as locally, with key regulators and stakeholders.
Offline legislation: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2005/19/section/6
Online legislation: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2005/19/section/36/2018-11-26#commentary-key-a7a6f4accdfd38ec60387c781c9f4b12
