Gambling Commission Selects Lived Experience Advisory Panel

Britain’s Gambling Commission has moved to select and appoint contributors to a Lived Experience Advisory Panel. The regulator has put the panel together to advance the Commission’s work with player safety.

Panel to Inform Gambling Act Review

After much deliberation, the Lived Experience Advisory Panel’s appointing is no surprise to those in the betting industry.

The panel is now tasked with working with the Gambling Commission to advise on an array of policy development initiatives within the sector, including but not limited to providing strong and informed input to those in charge of the country’s Gambling Act Review.

The UK’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is reviewing The Gambling Act 2005. The governmental review has been commissioned to ensure that it is fit for the digital age. Given the advent of smartphone betting and advertising changes, it is thought the current Gambling Act is out of date.

Now, via the Gambling Commission, the new Lived Experience Advisory Panel will add their collective, personal experience of gambling to the review.

Those with Lived Experience Already Vital to Gambling Commission

It seems, certainly according to recent public comments made by Gambling Commission chief executive Neil McArthur, that the creation of this panel is being seen as a huge step forward. The Commission has been under pressure to understand the impact of gambling related harm better, while also making gambling in the UK generally safer for all.

An Interim Group was already put in place by the GC, their work having also been felt to have proven that the views and perspectives of those having ‘lived experience’ of gambling harms has been of great benefit to the Commission and its work.

These groups, it is felt by those at the Commission, are vital in helping the thinking at the regulatory body with past testimonies having had a very positive impact in addressing gambling-related problems.

More Policy Shake-Ups to Help Make Betting Safer

Hot on the heels of Britain banning credit cards for gambling online and having famously cut FOBT stakes from £100 to £2, the latest advisory panel creation is further helping the Commission shape their policies.

Feedback gained from those with lived experience has led to the Gambling Commission claiming great progress via input to consultations. These consultations have come on customer interaction, affordability, game design and advertising guidelines.

While some of the potential changes to come via the governments Gambling Review don’t sit well with certain gambling public members, particularly horse racing punters, the announcement of this new panel has been well received by those at the Commission.

Communicating via a spokesperson for the group, the Lived Experienced Advisory Panel have moved to say that they are pleased that the Gambling Commission has now recognised the importance of listening to people who have been harmed by gambling in the past.

Overall, this initiative is exactly what the wider gambling industry needs; however, some of what is said to be coming in the Gambling Review is quite rightly being met with scepticism.

For example, the aforementioned horse racing bettors, who by and large use skill and knowledge to place their bets and do not rely simply on luck, may now be asked to share personal and financial information with bookmakers as part of “affordability checks”.