UK Gambling Policy Commission Launches Review of 2005 Act After 25 Years
The UK Gambling Policy Commission, chaired by Jagjit Chadha OBE, is reviewing the Gambling Act 2005—the first independent examination in 25 years. Scope includes prediction markets, taxation, illegal gambling, and horseracing levies. Evidence deadline is 12 February 2027; final report due 2028.
SCCG Take — Operators and racing stakeholders must submit targeted evidence on regulatory gaps and economic impacts. Outcomes could reshape tax policy and licensing for emerging products, favoring those who quantify effects on compliance and revenue.
The UK has formed the Gambling Policy Commission to conduct an independent review of the Gambling Act 2005. Announced on 9 November, the effort examines whether the two-decade-old statute can address current industry realities, from online platforms to prediction markets and AI-driven products.
Jagjit Chadha OBE, professor of economics at the University of Cambridge, chairs the commission. Professor James Reade of the University of Reading serves as chief economist. The group draws on specialists in law, public policy, health, academia, and sport.
Scope of the Review
The commission will assess the Act's effectiveness on consumer protection, taxation, illegal gambling, and the economic links between betting and sport. It will evaluate the 2023 Gambling White Paper reforms for measurable impact and proportionality. A public call for evidence runs until 12 February 2027, with the final report set for 2028.
Chadha justified the timeline. “The last comprehensive independent review of gambling legislation was undertaken a quarter of a century ago,” Chadha said. “Since then, both the gambling market and the wider technological environment have changed considerably.”
Economic figures frame the stakes. Gambling produced £5 billion in gross value added in 2024 and sustained approximately 75,000 jobs in 2025. HM Revenue & Customs collected £3.9 billion in betting and gaming duty for 2025/26. The review will also address the recent rise in Machine Games Duty to 25% and survey data showing 2.5% of online gamblers used illegal sites in a given four-week period.
Implications for Horseracing Funding
British horseracing receives explicit attention. The commission will review statutory levies, media rights tied to betting turnover, and whether a statutory Sports Betting Levy should replace elements of General Betting Duty. Reade and Tom Savill, director of Plumpton Racecourse, bring relevant expertise to these questions.
As reported by World Casino News, the process offers the sector an extended period to submit evidence before legislative recommendations emerge. Operators, sports bodies, and regulators face a clear directive to document what works, what fails, and what boundaries have shifted since the Budd Report of 2001. The resulting framework will determine how the UK licenses, taxes, and oversees gambling for the next generation of products and consumer behaviors.
Gaming, betting and prediction markets — the desk’s read, every weekday.
Subscribe →