No decision yet whether Rhodes will become permanent Gambling Commission boss

The Gambling Commission has denied a decision has been made about the identity of its next permanent chief executive following a newspaper report that Andrew Rhodes was to be given the job.

Rhodes was made the industry regulator's interim chief executive in June 2021 for an 18-month period following the sudden departure of his predecessor Neil McArthur in March.

However, the Guardian newspaper has reported that Rhodes has impressed ministers at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport having taken a strict approach towards the industry since his appointment.

In an interview with the Racing Post in November, Rhodes said there had not been a sufficient fall in the number of cases of people with gambling problems losing large amounts of money, and that the industry's "own goals" were why people believed "the industry is not taking this seriously".

He also told a conference last month that the commission was increasing the number of fines being handed out to operators because of "recidivist behaviour" and warned it would not tolerate repeat offenders.

Nevertheless, a spokesperson for the Gambling Commission said on Friday: "As far as we are aware, there has been no confirmation of a full decision having been made regarding the permanent chief executive role."

Rhodes is guiding the commission through two major events at present, with a white paper following the government's review of gambling legislation and the identity of the next operator of the National Lottery expected in the next few months.

He joined the commission from Swansea University where he was registrar and chief operating officer, having previously held senior positions at a range of organisations, including the Department for Work and Pensions, the Food Standards Agency and the DVLA.

While at the FSA, Rhodes was director of operations during the investigation into the horsemeat scandal in 2013. At Swansea University, he also oversaw an investigation that led to the dismissal of a number of academics.

Following McArthur's departure, the Gambling Commission board decided to recruit an interim chief executive to allow incoming chairman Marcus Boyle, who only joined the regulator in September, time to appoint a permanent successor.

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