The Gambling Commission’s Executive Director, Tim Miller, has confirmed that he is leaving the regulator in September.
First announced in a LinkedIn post, Miller will be leaving the GC after ten years with the organisation, citing his plans to take on a new challenge.
On the decision, he said: “The Commission has been the most enjoyable and fulfilling part of my career so far and I’ve been so lucky to work with such brilliant people who care deeply about getting regulation right. But for me, ten years always felt like the right point to take on a new challenge.
“I’ve always been a public servant but am now looking forward to working for myself. This is going to include working internationally with a number of governments, regulators and organisations that are focused on supporting the development of well‑regulated and competitive markets. More on that later in September after my last day at the Commission.”
The GC noted that Miller’s time with the regulator coincided with the publication and implementation of the Government’s Gambling Act Review White Paper and the roll out of the Gambling Survey of Great Britain.
Among the reforms now in place are reforms to age verification, financial vulnerability checks and remote game design.
“Tim has provided outstanding service to the Commission for ten years. I would like to thank Tim for his significant contribution to gambling regulation and wish him every success in the future,” added Sarah Gardner, Acting Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission.
Loose ends remain
Although Miller was involved in implementing a raft of changes, he leaves at time when the GC is yet to make a number of key decisions that will impact the future trajectory of the UK market.
Most notably, the GC is still weighing the implementation of financial risk assessments (FRAs), known by many as affordability checks.
Included as one of the key reforms in the White Paper, the GC has been running a pilot study to determine the feasibility of implementing checks that would identify high-spending online gambling players who may be experiencing financial problems.
FRAs have drawn significant criticism from the industry, as opponents have raised concerns over the reliability of the checks and questioned the GC’s assertions that 97% of players who trigger a check would receive a frictionless experience.
Many industry stakeholders believe customers could be reluctant to share their data and may instead wager with black market operators to avoid FRAs entirely.
The GC confirmed last month that the implementation of FRAs will be delayed as it assesses more evidence. However, it will not be too long before it has to make a decision and confirm if operators will be required to implement the checks.