UKGC receives support from prominent researcher for GSGB

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has been hard at work to establish a Gambling Survey for Great Britain or GSGB, a mechanism that seeks to collect information about the prevalence of gaming and betting across Great Britain and help inform regulatory and legislative decisions, and not least, help strengthen understanding of persisting issues such as problem gambling.

The latest methodology and efforts put down by UKGC have been endorsed by Professor Patrick Sturgis from the London School of Economics, who has hailed the newest GSGB model as "exemplary in all respects," crowning the regulator’s efforts with success insofar as endorsement from the scientific community is involved.

This is an important step forward as the UKGC has set out to reform its methodology in collating relevant data to help it better understand the level of gambling participation and pinpoint, with greater accuracy, the prevalence of gambling harms in society, and how improvements could be made.

Professor Sturgis welcomed the way the UKGC has worked on establishing the GSGB and its greater ramifications for the entire regulated market. "Gambling Industry, Laws and Regulations," he explained. Professor Sturgis still noted that the UKGC may follow some recommendations to further improve its efforts and the entire process.

The endorsement was similarly welcomed by Executive Director of Research and Policy at the UKGC, Tim Miller, who said that Professor Sturgis’ feedback has been invaluable in helping guide the UKGC in establishing new best practices for the GSGB.

The UKGC has been making waves, altering its methodology of gathering information, and suggesting that the new numbers would be higher when it comes to the rate of gambling harm in society.

The regulator, however, reminded that this new methodology and its findings were incompatible with older models, and has lambasted media outlets that sensationally published articles claiming that gambling harm has increased in the UKGC, misinterpreting the new methodology, and not considering the caveat issued by the watchdog in the incompatibility of the two methodologies.

"We recognize that all methodologies need to continue to evolve and improve over time and this independent report helps to highlight some initial areas of focus once our new approach has gone live," Miller added, with the UKGC on a mission to continue improving the GSGB as part of a broader effort to ensure that consumers are protected and legislative decision regarding gambling – well-informed.

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