Ian Angus, Director of Policy at the UK’s Gambling Commission, is confident that the government’s push to give lower authorities more powers around gambling licensing will become law.
In a speech at the Institute of Licensing Gambling Conference this week, the senior regular commented on amendments to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill made in the House of Lords last month.
If the bill is subsequently approved by the House of Commons, it will make an amendment to the 2005 Gambling Act creating a new tool for local councils, Gambling Impact Assessments (GIAs).
These can be used by local authorities to gauge the extent of gambling harm and the potential impact a new betting or gaming venue could have on the local community, and use this as evidence to refuse a licensing application. This would mark a significant shift away from the longstanding ‘Aim to Permit’ rule.
“Government has of course committed to exploring how to give local authorities the power to carry out gambling impact assessments when looking at licensing decisions in your communities,” Angus said.
“And for our part the Gambling Act review recommended new powers for us to tackle illegal gambling online. Both of these have been moving forward in Parliament recently through different legislation and we expect them to make it into law.
“When the Bill has completed its passage through Parliament and become law the Commission will work with DCMS to produce guidance for licensing authorities and other stakeholders on how to implement the measures using robust evidence to inform meaningful consultation with communities, operators and stakeholders prior to any GIA being implemented.”
The House of Lords’ approving the amendment 305 of the devolution bill last month was a big win for councils. To put it bluntly, many local councillors – and a large number of MPs too – are getting fed up with the gambling industry.
Dawn Butler, Labour MP for Brent East in London, has been particularly vocal in calling for a reversal of the Aim to Permit remit. Her calls for local councils to gain more powers have gained the support of fellow Labour politicians, including long-time gambling reform advocate Alex Ballinger and Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham.
In September last year, Butler’s concerns were taken on by PM Kier Starmer, who said that the government would “give councils stronger powers over the location and numbers of gambling outlets”. The government is now making good on that promise.
Commission’s £26m spending plan for black market
The British gambling sector has been facing a huge amount of scrutiny in recent years, during the Gambling Act review between 2020-2023, the adoption of the review recommendations ever since, and throughout the discussions around tax last year.
Concerns expressed by those like Butler and Hannah Spencer, the new Green Party MP for Manchester’s Gorton and Denton constituency, that the industry has a detrimental impact on economically deprived communities, are not exactly uncommon feelings across the UK.
The industry’s response to calls for tighter regulation and heavier taxation has often been to point to the existence of a black market. This has not always been well received by MPs, many of whom have openly questioned the extent of it.
In all fairness to bookmakers and casinos, however, it has been received by the Department for Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS) and the Gambling Commission. For its part, the DCMS has created a task force dedicated to clamping down on the illegal market, and is consulting on banning unlicensed betting firms from sponsoring sports clubs.
The Commission, meanwhile, is benefiting from an additional £26m in funding over the next three years, generated from the new gambling tax regime that came into effect on 1 April 2026. This £26m will be used solely for tackling illegal gambling.
“We are pleased that the effectiveness of our work to tackle illegal gambling has been recognised by the Treasury in this way and this funding will certainly allow us to upscale our activity,” Angus said.
“One way that you may hear less about though, but which is definitely of importance to local authorities, is that for the first time this funding will allow us to invest more specifically in addressing land-based illegal gambling.
“We have always been a little hamstrung by the size of our own resources in this space, but this will give us a capability now to do a lot more in the land-based space than we’ve been able to do before. We will still need to work closely with all of you and the police too, but this will allow for us to do more.”
Commission expects closures
Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced the new gambling tax regime in the November Budget. On 1 April 2026, Remote Gaming Duty went up from 21% to 40% and bingo duty was abolished. From April 2027, General Betting Duty will go up from 15% to 25%, excluding retail betting, spread betting, pool betting, and horse racing bets.
HM Treasury expects to raise an additional £1bn a year by 2029/30 via this new tax regime, and plans to use the funds to pay for the recent scrapping of the two child benefit cap. And for the Commission, this means the additional £26m outlined above.
For the industry, however, this is a hefty burden. In the immediate aftermath of the Autumn Budget, major PLCs like Flutter Entertainment, evoke and Entain stated that they would be cutting marketing budgets, something that is already well underway.
Although retail has been excluded, a knock on effect is also expected – through the fact that retail betting has been in a gradual decline over the past few years meant that shop closures, like those confirmed by William Hill owner evoke yesterday, could have been on the cards already.
In light of recent announcements, Angus said that the Commission is “now expecting to see a number of gambling premises close”. He added that the regulator’s returns data “may well tell the story of these closures over the coming year or so”.
“2026 sees a changing world but to some extent change has always been the case when it comes to gambling,” he concluded. “At the Gambling Commission we will continue to work with our partners where we share the same goals. We remain committed to that collaboration and whatever else is changing in the world, that will not.”
