Gambling Act 2005 review to be put under the microscope by NatCen
The National Centre for Social Research has been jointly commissioned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Gambling Commission to study the review process
The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) has been commissioned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Gambling Commission (GC) to develop a Monitoring and Evaluation plan for the Gambling Act 2005 review.
Launched in 2020, the Gambling Act 2005 review examined what changes were required to gambling regulation in the UK for the digital age, culminating in the release of the white paper in April 2023.
NatCen will establish an evaluation design and address how effective the review has been in preventing gambling-related harms to at-risk players and the gambling market in general.
The evaluation will also investigate whether or not there is suitable balance between consumer freedoms and the prevention of harm to vulnerable groups and wider communities.
NatCen will also study to see if the review has led to customers being suitably protected and that there was an equitable approach to online and land-based regulation.
NatCen will then develop a Theory of Change (ToC) for the review in partnership with the DCMS and the GC.
The ToC will be supported by critical document analysis from which NatCen will deliver a comprehensive evaluation plan that will consider all feasible approaches and practical recommendations for implementing the review.
Founded in 1969, NatCen is a registered charity and also the largest independent, not-for-profit social research organisation in the UK and earlier this year opened the NatCen Centre for Gambling Research in London.
NatCen’s director of health policy, Dr Sokratis Dinos, said: “We are delighted to work on this project, to develop this monitoring and evaluation plan of the vital Gambling Act Review.
“The past decade has seen a significant shift in the perspective of gambling harms, and this contract is pivotal in providing feasible approaches and practical recommendations.
“This evaluation will consider the extent to which measures have effectively prevented gambling related harm to vulnerable groups and wider communities, whilst enabling the balance of consumer freedom and informed choice, and explore the wider impact on gambling behaviours and the market,” Dinos added.