The BGC Cry For a Gambling Ombudsman

Last updated on February 10th, 2024

UK’s Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) calls for an establishment of a Gambling Ombudsman. More specifically, the BGC called out the UK Government to take matters into its own hands, thus expediting the whole procedure. This idea for the creation of a Gambling Ombudsman is not the first of its kind. More specifically, there are even 3 previous similar proposals in recent years.

The first emerged in 2019, after a proposal by the deputy leader of the Labor party, Tom Watson. The second time the matter came to light was in 2020. This is after the Social Market Foundation called for a similar official to regulate complaints. And the latest was just at the beginning of 2021, at the request of the Horseracing Bettors Forum. Their request was specifically to improve and secure all aspects of horse race betting, for the sake of the customer.

The main reason for the creation of this regulating official is to deal with any potential customer concerns and complaints. Moreover, the new regulating body would apply to all licensed operators, thus legally obliging them to sign up. Additionally, the BGC claims that there are already similar procedures in motion that specifically address customer complaints. For that matter, we present you BGC’s official statement on the matter:

This is further evidence of the BGC’s determination to drive up standards in the regulated betting and gaming industry. We hope the government will look favorably on our calls for a Gambling Ombudsman to be established as soon as possible following the conclusion of the gambling review, which we strongly support. The BGC and its members recognize the need for further change in our industry and a new Gambling Ombudsman would be a step forward in customer redress – I’m proud to be giving it our backing.

Michael Dugher – BGC Chief Executive

This procedure to take matters to provide an official regulator for complaints is well-received among many experts and providers. One such vocal supporter is Mr. Conor Grant, Chief Executive of Flutter Entertainment, Ireland Division. He believes that it is the right decision to focus on the player’s transparency and safety. In addition to agreeing that it should definitely be the driving force behind creating this official. For that matter, he said the following:

At the heart of our business is a focus on our customers – both delivering great entertainment and making sure that it’s always underpinned by increasingly robust safer gambling practices. True commitment to putting customers first also means making sure they have somewhere independent to go if something does go amiss. That’s why Flutter is fully behind the call from the BGC for the government to include an ombudsman in its plans for reform of the gambling industry.

Conor Grant – Chief Executive of Flutter Entertainment: Ireland Division.

All in all, this is an excellent idea by the BGC for a Gambling Ombudsman which will surely use the regular players. Especially since many casinos and operators sometimes can be a bit hard to communicate. Many even simply do not wish to cooperate and do not reply at all. Consequently, we are always pro-player-safety, and as such we always salute any effort to improve the overall user experience.