Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2026 to Question 119894 on Gambling Commission: Managers, what the status is of employees of the Gambling Commission.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Gambling Commission is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Employees of the Gambling Commission are considered to be public servants.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Financial Risk Assessments on tax revenues from the regulated betting and gaming sector.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government remains committed to supporting the implementation of key measures in the 2023 white paper, including the introduction of Financial Risk Assessments (FRAs).
Following the conclusion of its pilot on FRAs, the Gambling Commission has continued to engage with gambling operators. As the independent regulator, the Gambling Commission will decide how to implement FRAs based on the best available evidence.
The existence of the online gambling illegal market does not mean that we should avoid appropriate controls on licensed operators. However, as stated in the white paper, we recognise that the threat of movement to the illegal market does exist. This is why we are working to give the Gambling Commission increased powers to support disruption and enforcement activity, and why we have announced £26 million of funding over 3 years to the Commission to enable them to increase their activity. We have also set up an Illegal Gambling Taskforce to test what more can be done to tackle the threats posed by the illegal market.
Any assessment of the impact of policies on taxation revenues is a matter for HM Treasury.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Financial Risk Assessments on consumer migration to the unregulated gambling market.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government remains committed to supporting the implementation of key measures in the 2023 white paper, including the introduction of Financial Risk Assessments (FRAs).
Following the conclusion of its pilot on FRAs, the Gambling Commission has continued to engage with gambling operators. As the independent regulator, the Gambling Commission will decide how to implement FRAs based on the best available evidence.
The existence of the online gambling illegal market does not mean that we should avoid appropriate controls on licensed operators. However, as stated in the white paper, we recognise that the threat of movement to the illegal market does exist. This is why we are working to give the Gambling Commission increased powers to support disruption and enforcement activity, and why we have announced £26 million of funding over 3 years to the Commission to enable them to increase their activity. We have also set up an Illegal Gambling Taskforce to test what more can be done to tackle the threats posed by the illegal market.
Any assessment of the impact of policies on taxation revenues is a matter for HM Treasury.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact on the promotion of higher-risk gambling products of increasing sports betting duties without changes to the Horserace Betting Levy.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Horseracing was not subject to the 10% increase in General Betting Duty which was announced in the Autumn Budget. His Majesty’s Treasury published a tax information and impact note alongside these changes.
Horseracing is the only sport in receipt of a direct government-mandated levy, which helps to drive improvements in the sport. The levy is designed to ensure that the financial contribution of betting operators to the racing industry reflects the benefits derived from racing as a betting product. Whilst levy income was the highest ever in 2025 at £108m, it only comprises around 6% of racing’s overall income.
The promotion of gambling products is a matter for operators. Britain’s gambling market is regulated by the Gambling Commission, which takes a risk-based approach to regulation.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact on horseracing of increasing sports betting duties without changes to the Horserace Betting Levy.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Horseracing was not subject to the 10% increase in General Betting Duty which was announced in the Autumn Budget. His Majesty’s Treasury published a tax information and impact note alongside these changes.
Horseracing is the only sport in receipt of a direct government-mandated levy, which helps to drive improvements in the sport. The levy is designed to ensure that the financial contribution of betting operators to the racing industry reflects the benefits derived from racing as a betting product. Whilst levy income was the highest ever in 2025 at £108m, it only comprises around 6% of racing’s overall income.
The promotion of gambling products is a matter for operators. Britain’s gambling market is regulated by the Gambling Commission, which takes a risk-based approach to regulation.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate her Department has made of the number of betting and gaming customers required to submit financial documents under Financial Risk Assessments; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of those assessments on customer experience.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government remains committed to supporting the implementation of key measures in the 2023 white paper, including the introduction of Financial Risk Assessments (FRAs), which are not currently in place.
The white paper recognised the “chilling effect” that asking customers for bank documents can have. This is why it set out an alternative approach to assessing financial risk which would be much more frictionless.
The white paper proposed less than 3% of customer accounts would undergo an assessment – targeting the highest spending accounts. The Gambling Commission’s pilot showed that of these 3%, 97% would have a frictionless assessment process. Those customers would not be required to take any actions, including providing documents. Operators would only be unable to conduct an assessment in a frictionless way for 1 customer in every 1,000 accounts, significantly better than anticipated in the white paper. As the independent regulator, the Gambling Commission will decide how to implement FRAs based on the best available evidence.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how she will ensure Financial Risk Assessments are carried out in a frictionless manner as stated in the Gambling Act Review White Paper.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government remains committed to supporting the implementation of key measures in the 2023 white paper, including the introduction of Financial Risk Assessments (FRAs), which are not currently in place.
The white paper recognised the “chilling effect” that asking customers for bank documents can have. This is why it set out an alternative approach to assessing financial risk which would be much more frictionless.
The white paper proposed less than 3% of customer accounts would undergo an assessment – targeting the highest spending accounts. The Gambling Commission’s pilot showed that of these 3%, 97% would have a frictionless assessment process. Those customers would not be required to take any actions, including providing documents. Operators would only be unable to conduct an assessment in a frictionless way for 1 customer in every 1,000 accounts, significantly better than anticipated in the white paper. As the independent regulator, the Gambling Commission will decide how to implement FRAs based on the best available evidence.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2026, to Question 119894, on Gambling Commission: Managers, which specific public sector regulators (a) are and (b) are not subject to the Business Appointments Applications process.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Business Appointment Rules (BARs) apply to various individuals through specific codes of conduct. For instance, civil servants are subject to them via the Civil Servant Management Code, ministers through the Ministerial Code, and Special Advisers via their Code of Conduct.
Where a public sector organisation, such as an Executive Agency or an Advisory Non-Departmental Public Body, is staffed by civil servants, those individuals will be subject to the BARs.
Even though some individuals operating within the broader government sphere may not fall directly under the BARs, public bodies operating at arm’s length from government are still expected to implement their own equivalent processes to manage potential conflicts of interest, with these being tailored to their specific organisational context.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2026, to Question 119894, on Gambling Commission: Managers, which individual(s) reviewed and approved the conflicts of interest in relation to the departing staff joining Hawkbridge, and whether there are any conditions imposed on the staff, similar to the business appointments applications process; and whether there is any gardening leave provision.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Gambling Commission Chair is responsible for ensuring that any potential conflicts of interest are managed effectively in relation to departing staff. During any notice period, individuals will step back from duties which might present risks of a conflict of interest, with these duties being taken over by relevant Commission staff. Following departure, staff would be bound by confidentiality obligations and post-employment restrictions, namely limits on the use of confidential information and limits on engagement with matters relevant to their former responsibilities.
The Gambling Commission’s Corporate Governance Framework requires former employees of the Gambling Commission to maintain safeguards against conflicts of interest for six months after their departure. If an individual takes up employment in or related to the gambling industry, they must also notify the Chair of any upcoming regulatory decisions affecting their new employer.
The Gambling Commission’s Employee Code of Conduct is already freely and publicly available on the Gambling Commission’s website at the following address: https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/policy/corporate-governance-framework/code-of-conduct-for-employees
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2026, to Question 119894, on Gambling Commission: Managers, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Employee Code of Conduct.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Gambling Commission Chair is responsible for ensuring that any potential conflicts of interest are managed effectively in relation to departing staff. During any notice period, individuals will step back from duties which might present risks of a conflict of interest, with these duties being taken over by relevant Commission staff. Following departure, staff would be bound by confidentiality obligations and post-employment restrictions, namely limits on the use of confidential information and limits on engagement with matters relevant to their former responsibilities.
The Gambling Commission’s Corporate Governance Framework requires former employees of the Gambling Commission to maintain safeguards against conflicts of interest for six months after their departure. If an individual takes up employment in or related to the gambling industry, they must also notify the Chair of any upcoming regulatory decisions affecting their new employer.
The Gambling Commission’s Employee Code of Conduct is already freely and publicly available on the Gambling Commission’s website at the following address: https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/policy/corporate-governance-framework/code-of-conduct-for-employees