Lawmakers in the U.K. have been consistently calling for tougher regulation on gambling operators, and a stricter application of rules currently in place. That means none of them are happy that the U.K. Gambling Commission (UKGC) has announced it will be cutting its total headcount.
The Guardian reports the UKGC has spoken to its 332 full-time staff about reducing it’s total staffing levels in an upcoming restructuring. While not confirming the report, the UKGC has admitted it was talking to employees “about some changes we are considering.”
But quite simply, the regulator’s £19m annual budget isn’t enough to maintain the current headcount of the UKGC. British MPs, who have pressed for stricter regulation, are astounded at the news.
Labour MP Carolyn Harris said: “Given the abysmal service provided by the commission against a continued onslaught of reprehensible practice among gambling companies, and a woeful report from the NAO, I had expected the Gambling Commission to be beefing up their service in an attempt to justify their existence.”
She sees this as an admission of defeat by the regulator. “If they are scaling back it must be assumed they have given up and will be declaring themselves unfit for purpose.”
A commission spokesperson noted that the UKGC simply needs to change up its strategy to meet MP demands. “The pace of change and the complexity of the issues we have to manage are increasing and that means we have to constantly look for ways to be more agile and responsive as new risks or opportunities emerge.”
In a National Audit Office report which cited the UKGC’s funding as insufficient, it noted that the regulator has failed to keep up with technological changes. Online and mobile gaming just haven’t been the UKGC’s strengths, they argued.
But even with just £19m in funding, the UKGC has brought in plenty in fines. Just in the past month, the UKGC has fined Caesars Entertainment for £13 million, and Betway for £11.6 million, both for anti-money laundering violations.
While the UKGC is promising it will publish a business plan for the upcoming year shortly, this also makes for terrible timing during the COVID-19 crisis. MPs recently issued an open letter to the gambling industry and regulators, demanding better protection for the public with so many stuck at home.
