Gambling Commission Urges Local Councils to Be More Cautious

Less than half of local licensing authorities are carrying out inspections of high street slot venues, according to Tim Miller, Executive Director of the Gambling Commission, who called for greater local enforcement during a speech at the Gambling Reform Gambling Summit yesterday. Speaking at the event, Miller acknowledged the regulator’s recent progress but stressed that the Commission alone cannot shoulder responsibility for overseeing Britain’s land-based gambling sector.

Miller used the platform to reflect on changes implemented since the Government’s 2023 Gambling White Paper. These include tighter age-verification rules, new restrictions on direct marketing, and the rollout of financial vulnerability checks, which have faced industry criticism.

Developments

On enforcement, Miller noted that since April this year the Commission has:

• Issued 344 cease-and-desist orders to advertisers and operators,
• Reported 45,674 gambling-related URLs to search engines, resulting in 30,605 removals,
• Referred 466 websites for delisting, and
• Disrupted 235 sites that were subsequently taken down or geo-blocked.

Despite these measures, Miller conceded that many stakeholders still view progress as insufficient. “I know that for many people in this room and for others who will read this afterwards, this may not feel enough,” he said. Miller stressed the Commission’s limited capacity as a national regulator. “As a fairly small regulator based in Birmingham, the Gambling Commission is not in a position to police every gambling establishment up and down the nations of Britain,” he said. Any expansion of that role, he added, would require “a very different funding model” approved by government.

Adult Gaming Centres (AGCs), which operate high street slots, are licensed by local councils. Licence fees are intended to fund regulation, including inspections. Yet Miller cited Commission data showing that fewer than 50% of licensing authorities currently conduct premises checks. “We value our relationship with local authorities as our co-regulators,” he said. “But it cannot be the role of the national regulator to fill any gaps left in local regulation when less than half of licensing authorities are conducting any premises inspections, that the licensing fee funds them to perform.”

Observers suggest reluctance among councils may stem from a lack of expertise in gambling oversight or the stigma attached to high street slot venues, which can deter officials from engaging directly.

It cannot be the role of the national regulator to fill any gaps left in local regulation when less than half of licensing authorities are conducting inspections.

Industry Resilience & The Future

Miller also pointed to the resilience of the sector despite tighter regulation. Following the introduction of a £5 maximum stake for slot machines earlier this year, slot revenue has risen, easing fears the measure would harm operators.

Miller’s remarks underline the Commission’s push to clarify boundaries of accountability in gambling regulation. While the regulator continues to tighten online and marketing standards, it is urging councils to make better use of the powers and funding already available to them. “The Commission has made strides, but effective oversight requires shared responsibility,” Miller concluded, signalling that local authorities will need to play a stronger role in maintaining standards on Britain’s high streets.