Deputy CEO of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), Sarah Gardner, expressed hopes that the lottery sector will continue to work alongside the regulator to address the rising demands of player protection.
In her speech addressing UK lotteries at the recent Hospice Lotteries Association Conference, Gardner commemorated the combined contribution of the industry to UK societies.
Her words referenced the recent UKGC Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) report, which highlighted that 31% of those surveyed who participated in gambling activities over the last four weeks did so with the National Lottery, followed by 16% buying tickets for other charity lotteries, and 13% buying scratchcards.
“This data clearly tells us just how important your lotteries are to the good causes you raise money for and the communities you support,” Gardner commented.
“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.”
Excluding the totals for smaller society lotteries, the UKGC Deputy CEO added that large Society Lotteries managed to raise £421.7m for good causes in the year ending March 2023 – a 14.6% increase from pre-pandemic levels.
The data was accumulated for the GSGB using a brand new methodology, which has been welcomed by some but also criticised elsewhere.
“Some of you though may have heard of some disquiet from some commentators about it and may have picked up on some arguing that the Commission has acted rashly in adopting the new methodology,” Gardner continued.
“If you have, I want to reassure you that this is not the case…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.”
Before release, the UKGC commissioned an independent review of the new methodology that was carried out by Professor Patrick Sturgis of the London School of Economics.
The review was published back in February, with Sturgis calling the work on the new methodology “exemplary in all respects” but also warned that it might hide the potential for over-reporting of participation and prevalence of harms as the approach gets refined over time.
Regardless, Gardner explicitly stated that the new methodology is a step in the right direction as the old one was no longer viable.
“Why now? The answer is that it is simply not credible to persist with a methodology that was outdated and had the gaps in evidence we have experienced.”
She also confirmed that next year’s Annual Report will be bigger, including a survey pool of around 20,000 participants, making it “the biggest participation and prevalence survey of its kind in the world” that will allow for a better understanding of gambling, the range of products offered – including lotteries – the reasons why people play and its impact on society.
Gardner then moved on to the White Paper Review, branding 2024 as “not a quiet year for politics”. However, she reassured that UKGC continues to work closely with the Department of Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS).
Some of the consultations led by the UKGC referred to direct marketing – a field which also impacts lotteries – and the launching of measures that would allow customers to opt-in for product types and the channels through which they want to receive the relevant marketing.
But the lotteries, together with land-based gambling, were subsequently removed from the equation due to complaints that this would significantly impact customer retention, and therefore affect their abilities to raise crucial funds for social causes.
Another main point highlighted by Gardner was the changes impacting lotteries regarding regulatory returns, which is the core data that businesses under UKGC licence must submit to the Commission.
Reporting was changed from annually to quarterly at the start of July this year, but this time less questions were introduced to balance the workload needed to complete the reports.
The UGKC Deputy CEO reminded that the first set of quarterly returns affecting the period between 1 July-30 September 2024 are due 28 October.
Towards the end of her speech, Gardner also made sure to mention the close work that the UKGC has been doing with the HMRC to combat illegal offerings, resulting in £600k in penalties paid by organisers of illegal gambling in 2023.
https://lotterydaily.com/2024/09/16/regulation/ukgc-compliments-lotteries-for-hard-work-on-social-strategies/