The UK Gambling Commission said it will close the Advisory Board for Safer Gambling after the board completes its original mandate. The commission said the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms had concluded and that it would establish a new expert group focused on research funded by the mandatory levy.
The change will shift expert support for gambling research and regulation to a new group.
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Former Entain chief executive Kenny Alexander has sued the UK Gambling Commission, alleging it shared confidential information with 888 that led the company to withdraw from takeover talks in 2023. The Commission denies disclosing confidential details and says it approved only factual amendments to 888’s statement, according to the report.
UK Gambling Commission chief executive Andrew Rhodes called for a government-level discussion on whether cryptocurrency should be allowed within the country’s gambling regulatory system. He said the issue could become a challenge within 18 months to two years and raised questions about source-of-funds checks and risk controls.
Gambling Commission chief executive Andrew Rhodes warned that crypto gambling could pose a regulatory challenge within 18 months to two years. He said the government must decide whether and how to regulate the activity before the commission could enforce rules set by Parliament.
UK Gambling Commission chief executive Andrew Rhodes said the government will need to decide whether to regulate cryptocurrency gambling, describing the issue as an 18-month to two-year challenge. He said the decision involves questions about crypto as a source of wealth or funds and the conditions and risks of any regime; he did not announce a licensing commitment.
The UK Gambling Commission says football sponsorship by an operator without a UK licence is wrong, but does not automatically breach licensing objectives if the operator takes no traffic from Great Britain. Chief executive Andrew Rhodes said the regulator’s analysis indicates the issue is more complex than that condition alone suggests.