UK Gambling Commission on Progress in Reform
Speaking at the Peers for Gambling Reform Gambling Summit on 3 September 2025, Tim Miller, executive director of the UK Gambling Commission, outlined the regulator’s progress in implementing the government’s White Paper reforms while stressing the importance of measuring outcomes rather than pursuing constant new waves of reform.
Implementation of White Paper Reforms
Miller described the Gambling Act Review and subsequent White Paper of 2023 as the most significant reform programme since the 2005 Gambling Act. He said the Commission had moved quickly to implement changes, including:
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Financial vulnerability checks using public data at thresholds of £150 per 30-day rolling period.
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New rules on direct marketing giving consumers greater control.
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Adjustments to online products to reduce speed and intensity, making them fairer and easier to understand.
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Tougher age verification, including checks for anyone appearing under 25 at gambling premises.
Tim Miller, executive director of the UK Gambling Commission said:
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The Challenge of Evaluation
A central theme of Miller’s speech was the importance of evaluating the effectiveness of the reforms. He cautioned against a “treadmill of reform” where new policies are constantly debated without assessing the impact of existing ones. The Commission, in line with the Regulators’ Code, is committed to understanding what works and what doesn’t.
To this end, a joint evaluation plan for the White Paper program has been developed with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS). The National Centre for Social Research has been contracted to deliver the plan, ensuring that the success of the reforms is measured by evidence, not “gut instinct or belief.”
Focus on Delivery and Compliance
Miller closed by urging stakeholders not to let calls for future reforms overshadow the need to deliver and measure current reforms. He reiterated the Commission’s commitment to compliance, enforcement, and holding both operators and personal management licence holders accountable. Miller said.
“There will always be more to do.” “But my encouragement to all of those that have an interest in making gambling fair, safe and crime free is do not allow a drive for future reforms to be at the expense of effective delivery and measurement of current reforms – because it is delivery, not further policy papers, that will actually protect consumers.”