Gambling Commission deputy CEO Sarah Gardner spoke at the Hospice Lotteries Association Conference.

UK.- Sarah Gardner, CEO of the British Gambling Commission, has praised collaboration from the UK lottery sector and expressed hopes for more joint work on player protection. Speaking at the Hospice Lotteries Association Conference, Gardner highlighted the significance of the lottery sector in the UK, noting that the National Lottery and charity lotteries remain the most popular forms of gambling in the country.

She noted that the new Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) found that  31 per cent of people who gambled in the four weeks before the survey did so via National Lottery, 16 per cent via charity lotteries and 13 per cent via scratchcards. The biggest society lotteries raised £421.7m for good causes in the year ending March 2023, up 14.6 per cent from pre-pandemic levels. 

Sarah Gardner

Gardner said: “This data clearly tells us just how important your lotteries are to the good causes you raise money for and the communities you support. Alongside the National Lottery, Society Lotteries raise significant amounts for good causes up and down the country and you all should be recognised for your efforts and for the public good your work leads to, year in and year out.”

She recognised that figures are not comparable as the new survey uses a different methodology, and she added that next year’s report will be larger, based on a sample size of around 20,000 – “the biggest participation and prevalence survey of its kind in the world”, she said.

She added: “We have invested significant resources – money, people and time – and worked alongside experts in the field, to develop the best consumer gambling survey that we can.”

As for the future, Gardner said the Gambling Commission is working with the Department of Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) on the ongoing reform of British gambling regulations. She noted that lotteries would not be subject to new measures on direct marketing that will allow customers to opt-in for specific product types and channels due to concerns that it could harm customer retention.

Gardner also reminded operators that new quarterly returns for July 1 to September 30 must be submitted by October 28. 

UK Gambling Commission: more operators should sign up to GamProtect

Meanwhile, gambling commission executive director Tim Miller has encouraged more operators to join the new safer gambling tool GamProtect. Speaking at the launch of the initiative last week, he welcomed the industry’s collaboration on the project but said more operators should sign up, suggesting that the scheme could be made obligatory if they don’t.