Lawyer warns Gambling Commission must clamp down on those who 'throw fuel on fire of misinformation' over controversial new survey

The Gambling Commission has been urged to act decisively by a leading gambling lawyer to stop "fuel" being poured on "a fire of misinformation" following the publication of its controversial new survey on Thursday.

Steve Ketteley, partner at legal firm Wiggin who specialises in betting and gaming, also described it as "remarkable" that within its guidance the commission had stated the new survey should not be used to provide direct comparisons with results from previous gambling or health surveys.

The Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) is set to become the new source for official gambling statistics, although there is huge concern that the methodology used to produce the figures will overstate levels of gambling harm, with a rate more than eight times that recorded under the previous NHS health survey having emerged from its experimental stages.

Last week the Gambling Commission issued guidance on how the data in the GSGB should be applied, warning that it should not be used "to provide direct comparisons with results from prior gambling or health surveys" or to "calculate an overall rate of gambling-related harm in Great Britain".

The regulator has warned it will take action if the statistics are misused.

However, only last week an open letter to prime minister Sir Keir Starmer signed by members of the House of Lords, campaigners and academics claimed that the "commission's new research presents a higher picture of gambling harm than existed previously".

Ketteley said yesterday: "With the methodology underpinning the GSGB resulting in what will to the naked eye appear to be a significant rise in problem gambling when compared to previous NHS surveys, this will fuel media coverage that will intentionally or unintentionally focus on the destination, rather than the journey.

"Anyone involved in this industry needs to understand this and needs to be informed about what sits behind the results of the GSGB. It will inform debate and potentially further regulatory change and not just in the UK, but elsewhere."

Ketteley added: "We all await the commission's reaction to publications that circulate misleading interpretations of the GSGB, throwing fuel on a fire of misinformation. The commission's reaction to this will need to be swift, decisive and visible."

Gambling Commission executive director Tim Miller: regulator has been "open and transparent"

Gambling Commission executive director Tim Miller said on Tuesday that the regulator would challenge those who misused the GSGB data and that the regulator had been "open and transparent" about how it should be used and what its limitations are.

He told a webinar organised by regulatory analysts Vixio: "We've been very clear that where people misuse the GSGB data, as indeed they have done with the health survey data before, we will challenge that in an appropriate way up to and including if necessary making referrals to the Office of Statistics Regulation.

"We've had some examples in recent months where we have been taking those approaches and will certainly continue if there's further misuse of those official stats.

"But I am certainly confident that as we continue to develop this, this will become the new gold standard. We're investing a significant amount into continuing to develop this methodology so I do think it is right that we do publish it, but publish it with those appropriate caveats as to how you can and can't use it."

The open letter to the prime minister had called for the new government to complete the previous administration's work on establishing a statutory levy on gambling operators to pay for research, prevention and treatment (RPT) of problem gambling.

On Tuesday industry body the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) said its largest members – Flutter, Entain, bet365 and Evoke – had donated £122.5 million over four years to tackle problem gambling and gambling-related harm.

Adding in donations from the wider industry the overall figure totalled £172.5m.

BGC executive director of standards and innovation Wes Himes said: "Our members have no say on how these funds are spent and RPT donations only go to independent organisations accredited by the Gambling Commission to deliver these critical services.

“For the BGC and our members, the priority is ensuring the money reaches these charities doing exceptional work in prevention and treatment and funds truly independent, evidence-led research."

Read these next:

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How debunked stats and a selective approach to publishing research has misled the gambling reform debate 

Gambling Commission's reluctance to publish affordability survey results should be concerning to all 

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