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30 January 2026
11:59pm on 13 March 2026
23 March 2026
11 May 2026
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport wishes to appoint a new Chair of the Gambling Commission.
As the Gambling Commission continues to work with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to implement the recommendations of the Gambling Act Review White Paper (High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age (PDF) (opens in new tab)), the next few years provide a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make gambling safer, fairer and crime free. A new Chair will help put the Commission in a prime position to grasp that opportunity in full.
The new Chair will also support the government’s plan for change, with a regulatory environment that enables economic growth while protecting children and vulnerable people from being harmed by gambling.
In 2025-26, the Commission will enter the second year of its Corporate Strategy, delivering across five areas of strategic focus:
Using data and analytics to make gambling regulation more effective
Enhancing its core operational functions
Setting clear, evidence-based requirements for licensees
Being proactive and addressing issues at the earliest opportunity
Regulating a successful National Lottery.
The Chair will lead the Commissioners of the Gambling Commission to deliver its statutory objectives and formulate and implement its strategic aims. The Chair’s responsibilities are:
Strategic leadership of the Board in setting the overall direction, policy and plans for the Gambling Commission;
Supporting and holding the executive to account to ensure delivery of the Commission’s business plan and forward strategy;
Encouraging high standards of propriety and promoting the efficient and effective use of resources throughout the organisation; and
Leading and motivating the Commissioners, and the Chief Executive, in undertaking their roles, including agreeing objectives and undertaking annual appraisals.
To execute the role successfully you will need the skills and abilities essential for chairing a high-profile public organisation as well as an understanding of fast moving, highly competitive markets and a knowledge of regulated industries. While you may not yet have held a similar non-executive role, you will have senior equivalent experience.
The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate that they can command the confidence of the companies and organisations within the gambling industry and work constructively with the National Lottery operator, as well as have empathy and respect within the consumer landscape. A knowledge of the workings of Government would be a particular advantage. The candidate does not, however, need experience working directly within the gambling industry or in organisations aiming to tackle gambling harm. Where a candidate does have experience of the sector, they should be able to demonstrate how they will act in an impartial way.
The role demands close working relationships with diverse stakeholders, however, the candidate must also demonstrate the ability to ensure sufficient detachment to be seen as independent and driving standards within the industry.
The Priorities
Key priorities for the Chair at present include:
Appropriately engaging with DCMS on effectively implementing the gambling reform priorities.
Continuing to drive improvements in consumer protection and prevention of harm, and evaluating the impact and success of changes already introduced.
Tackling Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and illegal gambling related issues.
Overseeing the delivery and ongoing regulation of the 4th National Lottery Licence.
Leading the Board and organisation at a time of significant scrutiny.
The successful candidate will lead on the strategy and governance of this executive body and the delivery of its objectives. They will promote high standards of financial governance, encouraging the efficient and effective use of staff and other resources throughout the Commission. They will be impartial, free from bias about the gambling industry and those that participate in gambling.
The Gambling Commission was set up under the Gambling Act 2005 to regulate commercial gambling in Great Britain. The total annualised UK gross gambling yield is £15.6bn (for the period covered April 2023 to March 2024). The Commission is a non-departmental public body (NDPB) sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS).
The Commission’s activity is governed by the three licensing objectives set out in section one of the Gambling Act 2005:
keeping crime out of gambling
ensuring gambling is conducted fairly and openly, and;
protecting children and vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling.
The Gambling Commission is also responsible for licensing and regulating the National Lottery. Here the Commission’s duties work to protect the integrity of the Lottery, protect players’ interests and maximise funds to good causes. The Commission’s duties under the National Lottery Act are to:
ensure that the Lottery is run with all due propriety;
ensure that the interests’ of all participants are protected;
and to ensure the returns to National Lottery good causes are maximised.
Following the appointment of a new operator in February 2024, the Commission is working on the regulation of the fourth National Lottery Licence. In addition, the Commission regulates society lotteries.
How the Gambling Commission regulates
As a strong and effective regulator, the Commission regulates in a transparent, accountable and consistent way.
The Commission exists to safeguard players and the wider public by ensuring gambling is fair and safe and is committed to making faster, further progress in reducing harm.
The way people gamble continues to evolve. People gamble in different ways, on different products and with different regularity. The global pandemic impacted the way people gambled and as a result our approach to regulation. Using comparable surveys, fewer people report gambling regularly now compared to before the pandemic, but consumers are collectively spending more money gambling than in 2019.
Below these headline trends, consumer behaviour and the individual commercial performance and drivers of their licensees differ. More people than ever before now gamble online rather than in person. An increasing proportion of consumers play higher risk products, and fewer use cash as a method of payment. In response, the gambling industry in Great Britain continues to evolve based on changes in consumer behaviour and changes to regulation. Licensees also continue to seek to influence consumer behaviour through product innovation and adapting their business models. Mergers and acquisitions have changed the structure of the industry, the scale of the largest businesses and their global footprint.
The Commission’s regulation needs to be responsive to changes in the wider environment. They focus their resources on those issues and operators that potentially present the greatest risk to the licensing objectives and consumers. This is done by:
licensing gambling businesses
licensing people who work in the gambling industry, in specific roles
setting out licence conditions and codes of practice
carrying out compliance activities
enforcement action and compliance work, if a business or individual breaches their licence conditions
working closely with the gambling industry to raise standards
providing advice and guidance to players and the public
being the leading authority on gambling-related statistics, data and research.
The Commission is long established as an evidence-based regulator, producing Official Statistics and a range of other research in relation to the gambling market. They conduct research on consumer participation in gambling and the National Lottery and they gather regular market information. The Commission publishes their research and data to improve understanding of gambling in Britain, to inform their advice to Government, and to help shape policy development.
The Commission engages with a wide range of stakeholders, including industry and trade body representatives, third sector organisations and our own expert groups (the Advisory Board for Safer Gambling, the Digital Advisory Panel, Industry Forum and the Lived Experience Advisory Panel). They also work in close partnership with law enforcement agencies, other regulators and public bodies.
Many gambling operators in Great Britain provide services in other international markets and we are well respected internationally and work with gambling regulators across the world.
The National Lottery occupies a unique place in the UK’s gambling landscape, as a low risk, mass market product to support arts, sports, heritage and community projects. The Commission oversees the operator of the National Lottery, ensuring that it is run effectively and that as much money as possible goes to good causes.
For further information about the Gambling Commission please visit their website at www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk
High standards of integrity, and an understanding of the principles and practices of corporate governance.
The ability to lead an organisation in a high-profile and emotive policy area, including the ability to exercise impartial and independent judgement, drawing sound conclusions that are capable of justification under close scrutiny;
The ability to lead the Board of Commissioners, working collaboratively to optimise the input of Commissioners, lead strategy and provide effective challenge and support to the CEO and executive.
Strong relationship building skills, with the ability to command respect, and the ability to work with partners and other stakeholders to achieve objectives;
The ability to demonstrate capacity for sound political judgement and understanding;
Extensive commercial experience and expertise, with the ability to work in a highly scrutinised regulatory environment;
Excellent communication and influencing skills including the ability to operate effectively and comfortably as an ambassador for the organisation.
Some public appointments are made by the Prime Minister, or the Crown on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. Others are made by Secretaries of State or other ministers and are of interest to the Prime Minister.
Public appointments made by or of interest to the Prime Minister
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Once you are logged into your account, click on 'apply for this role' and follow the on-screen instructions To apply, all candidates are required to provide:
We will ask you to check and confirm your personal details to ensure your application is accurate.
You will also have the opportunity to make a reasonable adjustment request or apply under the disability confident scheme before you submit your application.
As part of your application, you will be asked to provide equality information including special category data (which may identify your race/ ethnic background or health); you have the choice to opt out from sharing any equality data, by selecting ‘prefer not to say’. We use your personal information and special category data for a wide range of purposes, to enable us to carry out our functions as a government department.
Public appointments are made on merit following a fair and open competition process which is conducted in accordance with the Governance Code for Public Appointments. We will deal with your application as quickly as possible and will keep you informed at key stages. We aim to conclude the appointment process within three months of the deadline for applications – this is in accordance with the Governance Code.
The assessment process
Ministers are responsible and accountable to Parliament for the public appointments made within their department. As a result, they must be consulted at every stage of the appointments process.
An Advisory Assessment Panel (“Panel”) is appointed by Ministers to assist them in their decision making. The role of the Panel is to decide, objectively, which candidates meet the eligibility criteria for the role.
At the shortlisting meeting the Panel will assess applications against the eligibility criteria and decide which candidates have best met the criteria, who should be recommended for interview. Ministers will then be consulted on the Panel’s recommended shortlist. If you have applied under the Disability Confident Scheme and you meet all the essential criteria, then you will also be invited for an interview.
Once the shortlist has been agreed by Ministers, you will be advised (by e-mail) whether you have been shortlisted. Those shortlisted will be invited to an interview.
The Panel will meet again to interview candidates and determine who is appointable to the role. The Panel may invite you to make a brief presentation at the start of the interview and will go on to question you about your skills and experience, including asking specific questions to assess whether you meet the criteria set out for the post. The Panel will also explore with you any potential conflicts of interest or any other issues arising from your personal and professional history which may impact on an appointment decision.
Details of the panel’s assessment of interviewed candidates are provided to Ministers, including whether they have judged a candidate to be appointable to the role. It is then for Ministers to determine merit and decide who should be appointed. In some circumstances, Ministers may choose not to appoint any candidates and re-run the competition.
Ministers may choose to meet with candidates before deciding the outcome. Candidates should therefore be prepared for a short time gap between interview and a final appointment decision being made. Candidates who have been interviewed will be kept informed of progress.
Once the decision on the appointment has been made, interviewed candidates will be advised of the outcome of their application, including whom they may approach for feedback. Successful candidates will be issued with their Terms & Conditions and a letter of appointment should they agree to take up the position.
In general, you should have the right to work in the UK to be eligible to apply for a public appointment.
There are a small number of specialist roles that are not open to non-British citizens. Any nationality requirements will be specified in the vacancy details.
The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards.
You cannot be considered for a public appointment if:
you are disqualified from acting as a company director (under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986);
have an unspent conviction on your criminal record;
your estate has been sequestrated in Scotland or you enter into a debt arrangement programme under Part 1 of the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 17) as the debtor or have, under Scots law, granted a trust deed for creditors.
When you apply, you should declare if:
you are, or have been, bankrupt or you have made an arrangement with a creditor at any point, including the dates of this.
you are subject to a current police investigation.
You must inform the sponsor department if, during the application process, your circumstances change in respect of any of the above points.
When you apply you should also declare any relevant interests, highlighting any that you think may call into question your ability to properly discharge the responsibilities of the role you are applying for. You should also declare any other matters which may mean you may not be able to meet the requirements of the Code of Conduct of Board Members (see Outside interests and reputational issues section below)