UK Gambling Policy Commission Launches Review of 2005 Betting Framework

The UK’s Gambling Policy Commission has opened an independent review of the country’s gambling laws. Announced on 9 November, the GPC will assess whether the Gambling Act 2005 can address current market realities, including online expansion, prediction markets, consumer protection, taxation, and the economic ties between betting and sport.

Jagjit Chadha OBE, professor of economics at the University of Cambridge, chairs the commission, joined by Professor James Reade of the University of Reading as chief economist. The group includes specialists in law, public policy, health, academia, and sport. It has issued a public call for evidence from operators, regulators, sports bodies, researchers, and treatment organizations. Submissions close on 12 February 2027, with evidence gathering and research continuing through 2027 and a final report due in 2028.

Twenty-Five Years of Industry Change Since the Budd Report

The review arrives roughly 25 years after Sir Alan Budd’s 2001 examination, whose 176 recommendations shaped the 2005 Act and established the Gambling Commission. That statute set licensing objectives and regulatory arrangements still in force today. Yet the sector has shifted markedly with online growth, new technologies, artificial intelligence features, and products that blur lines with financial markets.

The GPC will evaluate the government’s 2023 Gambling White Paper reforms for measurable impact, proportionality, and evidentiary support. The time since the last review justifies fresh scrutiny, given that both the gambling market and the wider technological environment have changed considerably. Will Hutton, president of the Academy of Social Sciences, welcomed the commission’s composition and noted that “the arrival of prediction markets growing rapidly in scale and reach only underlines how the 2005 Gambling Act has been superseded by the march of technology.”

Taxation, Illegal Activity, and Horseracing Funding Under Examination

Economic data will inform the work. Department for Culture, Media and Sport figures show gambling generated £5 billion in gross value added in 2024 and supported approximately 75,000 jobs in 2025. HM Revenue & Customs recorded £3.9 billion in betting and gaming duty for the 2025/26 financial year. The commission will review recent duty changes, including the five-percentage-point rise in Machine Games Duty to 25%, the statutory levy for research and treatment, and whether tax measures align with broader policy goals.

Illegal gambling also falls under scrutiny. A Gambling Commission survey of 14,257 online respondents found that 2.5% of adults who gambled online in the prior year reported using an illegal site. Ismail Vali, president of Gambling Compliance International, cautioned that this figure “is not the percentage of gambling revenue captured by crime,” as concentrated high-value activity can generate outsized illicit returns. The review will further consider civil liability for harm, coordination across government, and alternative licensing models for certain remote products.

British horseracing receives specific attention given its reliance on betting revenue. The GPC will examine the statutory levy, media rights, and whether sports bodies should hold economic rights over wagering on their events. Reade and commission member Tom Savill, director of Plumpton Racecourse, bring relevant expertise to these questions.

As reported by World Casino News, the 2028 report could underpin substantial legislative revision. Operators and stakeholders now have a defined window to submit evidence before policy directions harden.