Grainne Hurst takes the helm as BGC CEO

The former Entain director has taken over the leadership of the UK’s Betting and Gaming Council.

UK.- A new era has begun for the UK gambling sector lobby group the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC). Grainne Hurst has taken over from Michael Dugher as CEO of the trade body, which represents the biggest gambling operators in Britain.

Hurst spent ten years as group corporate affairs director at Entain Plc, formerly GVC, and oversaw the launch of the Entain Foundation. She also played an important role in the expansion of Global Gaming Women as a board member of the DEI initiative.

Hurst’s appointment was announced in April, when it was also announced that Dugher would move to the role of chairman, a position vacated by Brigid Simmonds. The BGC said Hurst was a ‘standout leader’ with experience and knowledge in public affairs and the political complexities that the industry faces.

Hurst said: “I’m absolutely delighted to get started as CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council, the industry champion for so many iconic brands, both in the UK and around the world. This is a crucial time for the BGC’s diverse and growing membership, which supports 110,000 jobs and caters to millions of customers who enjoy a bet each month in the UK.

“There is a huge amount of work ahead of us, not least delivering and implementing the outstanding proposals outlined in last year’s White Paper, many of which our members called for.”

Hurst said her priorities would include ongoing work with the government and the Gambling Commission to complete the gambling reforms outlined in last year’s gambling white paper. Several initiatives have yet to be finalised, including the introduction of a mandatory levy on gambling revenue, financial risk assessments and the creation of an ombudsman to handle customer complaints.

“While achieving regulatory certainty after a period of so much change is top of my priority list, it is important for our industry to focus on stability, growth, and diversity across the sector,” Hurst said.

“That work must be underpinned by strong data and guided throughout by the voice of the everyday consumer.

“This includes a statutory levy to address problem gambling and related harms, an Ombudsman for improved consumer redress, online financial risk checks carefully targeted at those at risk, new stake limits for online slots, a Sports Sponsorship Code, plus mission-critical modernisation proposals for the land-based casino sector.”

Dugher gave his support to the BGC’s new CEO. He said: “On behalf of the entire BGC membership, I’d like to warmly welcome Grainne as she officially starts as CEO. She brings years of experience and knowledge in the regulated industry, together with a bold vision and strategy to refresh and reset the organisation going forward.

“I look forward to working with Grainne in my new role as Chair, and with the rest of the outstanding BGC team, as we continue to represent thousands of workers and millions of customers, as well as delivering on our mission to raise standards in safer gambling.”

The BGC has welcomed the new UK government’s plan to improve access to sports outlined by the new DCMS Secretary of State, Lisa Nandy. It has also hailed the new Codes of Conduct for gambling-related agreements drawn up with major British sports bodies. The lobby group was involved in drafting the voluntary agreements recently announced by football bodies such as the Premier League, English Football League, The FA and Women’s Super League and by the British Horseracing Authority.