In accordance with the 2005 Gambling Act, all operators licensed by the Gambling Commission can expect scheduled and ad-hoc visits from the Commission’s new inspection team to check compliance with the Act’s primary objectives and licence conditions. But, whilst operators should prepare for inspections cautiously, the Commission’s director of monitoring and enforcement explains that inspections are also an opportunity for operators to demonstrate compliance and earn less burdensome regulatory scrutiny.

At this point, the attitude of the Gambling Commission towards Compliance and Enforcement is hard to predict.

The 2005 Gambling Act lists the protection of children and other vulnerable people from exploitation as one of its core objectives. On this issue, the intent of the Gambling Commission is clear, but some of the practical questions raised by the new Act are more complex.

The Gambling Commission’s task of ensuring operators’ compliance with the 2005 Gambling Act may seem an arduous one, but the Commission’s Compliance Process information paper, released in August, will prove a powerful tool for operators who wish to be considered “low-risk” and avoid being subject to the strictest compliance scrutiny.

With the regulatory matrix affecting the design, manufacture, testing and repair of gambling machines and software in Great Britain now complete, the following summary of the legislation and regulations may form a useful reference source for industry compliance.

For gambling operating licensees anxious to understand and anticipate the way in which the enforcement of the provisions of the Gambling Act will be managed, there is not a great deal that can be deduced from reading the Gambling Commission’s latest guidance document.

With the rolling out of the personal, operator and premises licensing program introduced by the UK Gambling Act of 2005, the Gambling Commission has been tasked with creating and enforcing an entirely new regulatory framework which will involve not only organisations that were regulated under the 1968 Gaming Act but also betting shops, adult gaming centres and family entertainment centres previously unregulated by the Commission.

The Gambling Commission has initiated a consultation process on revised Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice for UK-based gambling operators, which include changes to the player protection and reporting obligations of companies licensed under the 2005 Gambling Act.

As September 1st approaches, operators would be well advised to undertake a due diligence review of operations and procedures to ensure compliance with the new requirements of the Gambling Act 2005. Terrestrial licensed gambling operators will find the following checklist useful as it discusses some of the key issues and policies to review before the Act comes into effect.

The compliance enforcement matrix set up by the Gambling Act makes sure that no-one is immune from responsibility if a gambling company is in breach of its licence conditions. Even shareholders who own no more than 10 per cent of the shares can be at risk.