UKGC Releases Notes on Public Health Gambling Talks

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Regulator Discloses Records of Meetings with Health Officials

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has released documents detailing its meetings with the government’s public health body, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID). The disclosure, made in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request dated 27 August 2024, covers meetings held throughout 2023 and early 2024.

This release provides a rare glimpse into the formal collaboration between the UK’s gambling regulator and its national health experts, confirming that gambling harm is being addressed as a significant public health issue.

Why This Collaboration Matters

For consumers, the involvement of OHID in gambling regulation is a significant development. OHID is the part of the Department of Health and Social Care responsible for tackling health inequalities and improving public health. Its direct engagement with the UKGC indicates a strategic shift towards an evidence-based, health-focused approach to player protection.

This aligns with the direction set out in the government's gambling reform White Paper, which called for gambling-related harm to be treated more like other public health concerns. The collaboration suggests that future regulatory measures, such as affordability checks and marketing restrictions, may be increasingly informed by public health data and expertise.

Details of the FOI Disclosure

The original request asked for all agendas, minutes, notes, and briefings from meetings between the UKGC and the Department of Health, including OHID, for 2023 and 2024 to date.

In response, the Commission released a 2.3 MB PDF file containing the requested information. However, the documents were partially redacted. The UKGC applied a Section 40(2) exemption under the Freedom of Information Act, which protects personal data.

Key details from the disclosure include:

• Nature of Disclosure: The UKGC provided meeting records but redacted the names and email addresses of the individuals who attended.
• Justification: The regulator stated that disclosing personal details of the officials involved would be disproportionate and unfair, as there is no overriding public interest in identifying them individually.
• Timeframe: The documents cover a period of active reform in the gambling industry, following the publication of the White Paper in April 2023.

While the redactions prevent the identification of specific civil servants, the release of the meeting records themselves confirms the existence of a structured dialogue between the two organisations.

Significance for the Industry

The formalised link between the UKGC and OHID underscores the government's commitment to reducing gambling harms through a public health lens. This ongoing dialogue could lead to several key outcomes:

• Data-Driven Regulation: Policies are more likely to be shaped by health data on addiction, mental health, and population-level harm.
• Focus on Prevention: The collaboration may shift regulatory focus further towards preventing harm before it occurs, rather than just dealing with its consequences.
• Joined-Up Government: It demonstrates a coordinated effort across government departments to tackle a complex social issue.

For consumers, this high-level collaboration is a positive sign. It suggests that the rules designed to make gambling safer will be grounded not just in regulatory principles, but also in expert advice from the public health sector.