UKGC Withholds Bet365's Overseas Revenue Data

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The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has refused to disclose financial data detailing Bet365's revenue from outside of Great Britain, following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request filed on 27 January 2024.

The regulator confirmed it holds some of the requested information but has withheld it, citing commercial sensitivity and potential prejudice to the operator's business interests.

The Request for Transparency

The FOI request asked the Commission for a breakdown of Bet365's non-UK revenue for each of the last five years, including a list of the major countries contributing to that revenue.

This information is significant as UK-licensed operators are required to report their Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) to the Commission. This includes GGY from any customers outside of Great Britain where the company is relying on its UKGC operating licence to conduct business. This data could provide a clearer picture of the global scale and market focus of one of the UK's largest licensed operators.

The Commission's Justification

In its response, the UKGC stated that while it collects this type of data, it is exempt from disclosure under Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act. This section protects information that, if released, would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of any person or company.

The Commission conducted a public interest test, weighing the arguments for and against disclosure.

Arguments for disclosure included:

• A legitimate public interest in the transparency of the Commission.
• Allowing the public to hold the regulator to account.
• Improving understanding of the gambling industry's performance.

Arguments for withholding the data included:

• Operators have a reasonable expectation that this level of detail will not be published on an individual basis.
• Releasing the data could provide competitors with an unfair commercial advantage.
• Disclosure might discourage licensees from fully and freely providing information to the Commission in the future.
• The data could lead to "unjustified inferences" without the full business context.

Ultimately, the UKGC concluded that the public interest was best served by maintaining the exemption, stating there was a greater than 50% chance that releasing the information would cause prejudice to Bet365's commercial interests.

What This Means for Consumers

This decision highlights the ongoing tension between regulatory transparency and the commercial confidentiality of major gambling firms. While the UKGC regularly publishes aggregated data on the industry as a whole, this refusal prevents public scrutiny of the specific international operations of individual licensees.

For consumers, it means a less complete picture of the financial scale and international footprint of the companies they use. The data would have shed light on the extent to which Bet365 relies on its UK licence to operate in markets outside Great Britain, but this information will remain confidential. The Commission's decision reinforces the principle that specific operator financial data is considered commercially sensitive and is unlikely to be released to the public.