UKGC Reveals £97k Annual Spend on Network Services
FOI data details the regulator's IT infrastructure costs for its Birmingham and Watford offices, showing a total annual spend of £97,369.
A Freedom of Information request reveals the UK Gambling Commission spends £97,369 annually on network services for its two offices. The data shows costs are split between providers Claranet and Gamma for services in Birmingham and Watford.
Article Content
Key Finding: Regulator Spends Over £97,000 on Office Connectivity
A Freedom of Information (FOI) disclosure has revealed that the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) spends £97,369 per year on the essential network services that connect its two main offices.
The data, released following a request dated 12 November 2025, provides a transparent look into the operational costs of the organisation responsible for overseeing the UK's gambling industry.
Context: Why This Matters
The UKGC is a public body funded by the licence fees paid by all gambling operators in Great Britain. This expenditure on IT infrastructure is therefore covered by the industry it regulates. For consumers, this data offers a glimpse into how the regulator allocates its budget to maintain its core operations, ensuring it has the necessary technological foundation to carry out its duties, from data analysis to administrative functions.
Breakdown of the Data
The FOI response provides a clear breakdown of the costs, providers, and services involved in maintaining the UKGC's Wide Area Network (WAN).
- Total Annual Spend: £97,369 (including VAT).
- Number of Sites: The network supports two locations: the main UKGC office in Birmingham and a secondary site in Watford.
- Providers and Costs:
- Claranet: Receives £92,269 per year to provide managed WAN and Cloud Connect services for the Birmingham office.
- Gamma: Is paid £5,100 per year for the internet line at the Watford office.
- Contract Expiry Dates: The contract with Gamma is due to expire on 23 March 2026, with the larger Claranet contract concluding on 17 November 2026.
- Procurement Method: The UKGC confirmed that the contracts were procured through the G-Cloud 14 framework, a standard government procurement portal designed to simplify the purchasing process for public sector bodies.
Significance and Transparency
This spending covers the fundamental IT infrastructure required for a modern regulator to operate effectively across multiple sites. The significant difference in cost between the two contracts reflects the scope of services, with the Birmingham office serving as the primary hub requiring more complex managed connectivity.
The use of the G-Cloud 14 framework demonstrates that the UKGC is following established public sector procurement rules, ensuring a degree of oversight and value-for-money assessment in its purchasing decisions.
Notably, the Commission withheld the names and contact details of the staff responsible for managing these contracts. This is a standard and legally required practice under section 40(2) of the FOIA, which exempts personal data from disclosure to protect individual privacy. The UKGC stated that employees have a "legitimate expectation that their personal details will not be disclosed" and directed any procurement-related enquiries to a general email address.