Andrew Rhodes Warns BGC Members of Impending Marketing Data Review

_{Gambling Commission CEO Andrew Rhodes addressed BGC members at the annual general meeting in London. (Image: Alan Evans)}

Andrew Rhodes, the CEO of the Gambling Commission, has given a keynote speech at the AGM of the Betting and Gaming Council today, Thursday, Feb 27. 

The event took place in London, and speakers included gambling minister Baroness Twycross, shadow secretary of state Stuart Andrew MP, and Michael Dugher, chair of the BGC.

Mr Rhodes began by thanking the BGC for the invite. He said he would keep his remarks to a summary and started it by taking a look at the market at the moment. He said, “We published the official statistics this morning. Data that was published a little while ago showed gross gambling yield at its highest ever level, £15.6 billion. 

"Participation in gambling has remained stable at 48%. So just under half the adult population in Great Britain.”

Statistics indicate that betting, especially in online casinos, fluctuates in response to major events.

Large Prize Draws Participation Significantly Increasing

Mr Rhodes said that in recent times, the GC has seen growth in large-scale prize draws: “These are products that are not regulated by us; they're not regulated as gambling products. That growth has been very significant. We've also seen society lottery sales go over the £1 billion mark for the first time.

“What we're also seeing in the more recent statistics is participation within these prize draw products. That participation level is much higher than it is for a number of gambling products or products regulated as gambling. And actually, it's getting close to being on a par with betting in terms of participation.” 

Turning to demographics, Mr Rhodes said that in terms of participation, the highest participating group in statistics is aged between 45 and 54. 

He said, “Once you strip out the lottery and charity lotteries, that falls to 25- to 34-year-olds."

GC Keen to Clamp Down on Misinformation in Media 

Turning to ‘misinformation’ and use of evidence Mr Rhodes said that there had been many issues around misuse of data. He said: “It is unhelpful. It is distracting. It is frustrating. It has also always been present.” 

"GC will be updating their guidance in this area. We're not going to police every remark that is made or every argument that upsets someone but we have been repeatedly and routinely writing to organisations and media outlets about their misuse, and we are looking at it again with the office of the statistics regulator."

Statutory Levy and Financial Risk Checks 

Referring to the publication of the GC’s 2023 consultation responses, Mr Rhodes said: “We would have done it earlier, but we were rudely interrupted by a general election, so we needed to wait for all of that to be out of the way. We have now published that covering customer-led tools and protection of consumer funds."

Mr Rhodes said that as well as the introduction of the statutory levy, there were online slots state limits and that on Friday the financial vulnerability threshold level fell to £150. 

He said: “Others have mentioned today that we are still piloting financial risk checks, and that pilot is well advanced. In fact, we published an update recently on that, and we will continue to do so.”

GC to Publish Findings on Illegal Gambling 

The CEO of the GC said that in the early summer of 2025, the GC will be publishing their illegal gambling findings. He said that the publication would include their estimates, segmentation, and information on the effectiveness of their interventions.  

Mr Rhodes said that the GC will be looking again at Gamprotect: “This is a critical industry-led tool. The White Paper clearly outlined the intention to make it industry-led, given its non-voluntary adoption. 

"The guidance is crucial to helping at-risk individuals, so we will closely examine those who have not adopted it. It is in the industry's best interests to do so as soon as you possibly can."

GC Writing to Operators to Improve Customer Communication 

Andrew Rhodes turned to the area of communication with consumers and said: “I’m also in the process of writing to several operators about customer communication.

"We have seen several cases where there have been technical difficulties with an account or security, as well as certain concerns, where customers are being told this is a Gambling Commission-mandated affordability check when it isn't. This type of communication is not helpful.

“This needs to stop because it undermines the system of regulation, and it is why we will see stories in the Racing Post about people saying I'm a £10 punter. Why have I had an affordability check? I can't understand why they have either. 

"What we're discovering is that a significant portion of this issue stems from the way consumers are interpreting information. We've got to tighten this up because it is just going to be unhelpful.”  

_{John Pienaar is hosting the Betting and Gaming Council AGM this year. (Image: Courtesy of BGC AGM)} 

Mr Rhodes touched on how much work was ahead for the Gambling Commission. He said: “There are a whole host of other things going on during the next year as well. DCMS will be recruiting for a new permanent chair for the Gambling Commission, thankfully, not for the chief executive. 

"This year's Action Task Force assessment of our AML controls will be fundamental to the UK's standing as a trading centre."

Assessment of Operator’s Marketing Data in the Pipeline 

Mr Rhodes sounded a warning to operators of a major piece of work coming down the line: “I just wanted to let you know this is coming, but there will be joint work with the Information Commissioner's Office and the Commission looking at the use of data for marketing.

“The ICO is already reviewing the top 1000 sites in terms of traffic. Quite a lot of those sites will belong to people in this room, I would imagine. 

“I strongly encourage you to look at your operations and your practices around use of data for marketing, because that assessment is coming, and it will be robust.”

Speaking about recent events in Wales, where there is a proposal to ban greyhound racing, Mr Rhodes said: “I've had some very unexpected correspondence around greyhound racing. I know I'm Welsh, but we don't all know each other. 

"It's not like Gibraltar, where you're all basically in the same two buildings. This has nothing to do with me.”

Engagement with Industry Always Welcomed by GC 

Speaking about the importance of engaging with the gambling industry, Mr Rhodes said: “I'm only a couple of months away from being in this job for four years now, and when I took it on, I didn't know what I was getting myself into. But when I took it on, I really believed that engagement would be key.

"I believed that meeting people and fostering an environment of openness, transparency, and directness would be essential, as well as being prepared to have the difficult conversations together because it isn't easy stuff that we do.

“We've also got our operational engagement forums. There's a whole series of one-to-ones that I have with some of you, plus the round tables that we host and workshops; it adds up to hundreds of engagements every year. 

"The reason we do this is because I think it's important. It's important we speak often and that we can have honest conversations. We can deal with the challenges because, at the end of the day, we all want very similar outcomes."

CEO Hopes for Well-Regulated Industry With Well-Looked-After Consumers

Concluding his speech, Andrew Rhodes said: “I want to see a well-regulated industry where consumers are well looked after. I would rather not deal with difficult issues and make everybody look bad. Where was the regulator? What was the industry doing? 

“We need to have a strong, productive, collaborative relationship, but based on an understanding of what our different requirements are. 

"That's why I'm always happy to attend events like this and talk to people and that's why I appreciate you giving me your time today. So, thank you very much for sitting through what I had to say.”