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Moving house, new directors and gaming machine standards
Judging by the press release output, the nascent UK Gambling Commission that is scheduled to take the British industry in hand next year has had a busy few weeks. Tessa Jowell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in the British government, has announced that Rachel Lampard and Lord McIntosh have been appointed to the Board of the Gambling Commission. The appointments strengthen the Gambling Commission's expertise in ensuring socially responsible gambling and delivering the Gambling Act's three objectives of keeping gambling free from crime; ensuring that it's conducted in a fair and open way and that children and vulnerable people are protected from harm.
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Jowell said: "I am pleased to announce the appointments of Rachel Lampard and Lord McIntosh of Haringey to the Gambling Commission. Both have a wealth of knowledge and experience of the issues surrounding socially responsible gambling and measures to treat, and help prevent, problem gambling.
Rachel Lampard has been the Methodist Church 's Secretary for Parliamentary and Political Affairs since 2000 and has taken the lead for the Christian churches on the Government's gambling proposals. Since 2004 she has been a Trustee of the Responsibility in Gambling Trust (RIGT) and of the Society for the Study of Gambling.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey is a Member of the House of Lords and has been President of Gamcare, the National Association for Gambling Care Educational Resources and Training since 2005. He was DCMS Minister for Media and Heritage (2003-2005) including responsibility for gambling and the passage of the Gambling Act 2005.
Lord McIntosh said: "Last year I steered through Parliament the Gambling Actwith probably the best system of gambling regulation in the world. Now I am happy to be a part of that system and to contribute to regulation of gambling that prevents crime, ensures fairness and protects children and vulnerable adults."
Remuneration for these posts is GBP 275 per day, plus reasonable travel and subsistence expenses. The posts are not pensionable.
The Gambling Commission Board currently comprises a Chairman and other Commissioners. Members attend monthly and ad hoc Commission meetings, meetings with stakeholders and participate in regulatory hearings granting, reviewing and revoking licences.
Current members are Peter Dean CBE (Chair), Ben Gunn CBE QPM, William Knight, Gill Milburn JP, Roy Penrose OBE QPM, Eve Salomon, Michael Steen, Jenny Williams (CEO and Commissioner).
The Commission also published draft new technical standards for gaming machines as part of its consultative process. The initial proposal is a minimum game cycle speed of 2.5 seconds for most categories of machines and a ban on terminals which allow players to bet on multiple games simultaneously. The introduction of a minimum game cycle speed will bring the UK into line with requirements that are in place in a number of jurisdictions internationally.
Gaming machines will be required to display information on where to get help for problem gambling, and will also have to show a permanent identification badge and serial number, which will allow Gambling Commission inspectors to check that machines are legitimate. Other security measures are designed to minimise the risk of the machine being tampered with, as well as information such as the percentage return to the player.
Interested parties can download the detailed proposals from the Commission's website. Responses are due by 15 August 2006, and the new standards will apply from September 2007, when the Gambling Act 2005 comes fully into force.
The new headquarters for the Commission is now operational, with staff moving from London to new premises in Victoria Square, Birmingham.
Finally, the Gambling Commission has applied to the Home Office for an extension of its powers to obtain communications data under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA).
The Gambling Act 2005 gives the Commission extensive legal powers to investigate and prosecute a range of criminal offences related to gambling, but increasing those powers to obtain communications data will allow it to undertake its duties more effectively, while recognising the importance of safeguarding individual privacy.
The Commission's application is being considered alongside applications from other public bodies and will be debated in the House of Lords. The policy paper setting out the rationale for this extension and the circumstances in which this new power will be used together with the safeguards to protect the privacy of individuals can be downloaded from the website.
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