UKGC Spent £27,530 on 'Great Place to Work' Accreditation
FOI request reveals two years of spending on employee engagement and certification programmes funded by industry licence fees.
A Freedom of Information request has revealed the UK Gambling Commission spent £27,530 on 'Great Place to Work' schemes. The spending, funded by industry licence fees, covers an employee survey and a certification programme running until May 2025.
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A Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed that the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has spent £27,530 on services related to the 'Great Place to Work' scheme over a two-year period.
The data, released following a request on 9 June 2024, provides a transparent look into the regulator's operational spending on internal staff programmes. The disclosure confirms the arrangement is ongoing, having been extended until at least May 2025.
Why This Matters
The Gambling Commission is the UK's regulatory body for the gambling industry. It is not funded by general taxation but by the licence fees it collects from the gambling operators it oversees. This means that all of the Commission's spending, including on workplace awards and employee surveys, is indirectly funded by the industry itself.
For consumers, this data provides insight into how the regulator allocates its resources. Scrutiny of the UKGC's budget is common, with stakeholders often debating whether funds are being prioritised for core functions like enforcement, research, and consumer protection, or for administrative and internal programmes.
Breakdown of the Costs
The FOI response included contract documents detailing two separate payments to the 'Great Place to Work Institute UK':
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Employee Engagement Survey (2023-2024): A contract awarded on 17 May 2023 for an employee engagement survey cost £21,950. This contract ran for one year, ending on 16 May 2024.
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Certification Programme (2024-2025): A subsequent award letter for the 'Certification Programme' and a 'Recognition Bundle' for the following year totalled £5,580 (including VAT). This certifies the UKGC as a 'great workplace' from May 2024 to May 2025.
The combined total of these two contracts is £27,530.
The original FOI request from a member of the public described the scheme as an "exercise in public relations." In its response, the UKGC confirmed the spending and the extension of the arrangement, but did not comment on the characterisation.
Industry Significance
The disclosure of this spending offers a factual data point in the ongoing conversation about the UKGC's priorities and financial management. While organisations use schemes like 'Great Place to Work' to attract and retain talent and improve internal culture, the cost is notable for a public body funded by the industry it regulates.
This information allows consumers and industry observers to better understand how the regulator operates and where the money from operator licence fees is being directed. The UKGC's response was classified as a 'Partial exemption' because personal information of individuals was redacted to comply with data protection laws, a standard procedure in FOI releases.