UKGC Withholds Own Spending Data Until November

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UKGC Delays Release of Financial Transparency Data

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has withheld its own spending and transparency data for the first quarter of 2024, stating the information will not be made public until November 2024. The decision came in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request filed on 3 June 2024.

The request sought access to the Commission's spending data for January to March 2024, which was not available on its website. The UKGC is required by the Cabinet Office to publish details of its expenditure, but the regulator has opted to delay this disclosure.

Why This Data Matters

As the regulatory body for gambling in Great Britain, the UKGC's operations are funded by the licence fees paid by gambling operators. The spending and transparency data provides a crucial window into how the Commission uses these funds. For consumers and industry observers, this information is vital for holding the regulator accountable and ensuring it operates efficiently and transparently.

Timely access to this data allows the public to scrutinise the regulator's priorities, resource allocation, and overall financial management. Delays in its publication can obscure a current picture of the organisation's operational spending.

Details of the FOI Response

The Gambling Commission denied the request by invoking Section 22(1) of the Freedom of Information Act, an exemption for information that is intended for future publication.

In its official response, the UKGC stated: "Cabinet Office disclosure requirements are published on our website bi-annually (in May and November). The information you have requested will be published on the Gambling Commission website from November 2024."

The Commission acknowledged that it must weigh the public interest in disclosure against the interest in maintaining the exemption. It argued that while there is a legitimate public interest in transparency, releasing the data ahead of its planned schedule was not a "time/cost effective way of placing this information in the public domain."

The UKGC concluded that the balance of public interest lay in maintaining its biannual publication schedule, which it described as "reasonable." It stated, "There is no outstanding public interest in releasing this information prior to its intended publication."

Significance for Regulatory Transparency

The decision highlights a delay between the period the data covers and its public release. The spending information for the beginning of 2024 will not be available for public review until nearly the end of the year.

While the UKGC is acting within the bounds of the FOI Act by citing a future publication date, the choice to delay the release of its own transparency data raises questions about its commitment to timely disclosure. The regulator frequently requires a high degree of transparency from the operators it licences, and this decision places its own disclosure practices under scrutiny.

Consumers and stakeholders must now wait until November 2024 to analyse how the Commission managed its finances during the first quarter of the year.