The inquiry was launched by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Gambling Reform on July 17 to assess whether the existing legal framework is still fit for purpose. Think of it as a regulatory "annual checkup": the aging structure of the 2005 Act, the promises of the White Paper, and whether the wheel of reform has really turned.

The inquiry was chaired by senior Conservative MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith , who warned that existing regulation was no longer keeping up with the fast-moving industry. " The previous government's White Paper was a step in the right direction, but we need to do more to ensure our regulatory framework is fit for the digital age and protects people from harm. "

The central question for the 2025 UK Gambling Inquiry is: can old promises prevail over new problems, or have risks already rewritten the rules faster than reform?

What will the UK Gambling Survey 2025 address?

The survey will assess the implementation of the 2023 White Paper proposals and key remaining gaps, including:

Compulsory levy : Implemented from April 2025, directing over £100 million per year to gambling-related research, harm prevention and treatment services. Currently coordinated by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, £30 million has been spent on a national campaign, with the aim of going beyond formal compliance.

Sponsorship and advertising : The Premier League's voluntary ban on front-of-shirt gambling sponsorship remains controversial.

The APPG will also review the effectiveness of the Gambling Commission, which Duncan Smith described as representative of " weak regulation " that allows operators to repeatedly break regulations without being adequately punished.

Is the Gambling Commission strong enough?

Enforcement has become a major focus of controversy. Since January 2022, the Gambling Commission has concluded more than 30 major enforcement cases, with total fines exceeding £100 million (approximately €118 million). The largest fine came on March 28, 2023: a settlement involving three William Hill entities for £19.2 million (approximately €22.6 million) - WHG International Ltd (£12.5 million/€14.7 million), Mr Green Ltd (£3.7 million/€4.3 million), and William Hill Organisation Ltd (£3 million/€3.5 million) for serious anti-money laundering and social responsibility failures.

Other significant enforcement cases include a £6 million (€7 million) fine against Gamesys in January 2024 and a £686,070 (€808,000) fine against Corbett Bookmakers in March 2025. These figures are large but in reality they are just a drop in the bucket. All major brands are still operating as normal and critics argue that fines have been reduced to a cost item in business plans.

The APPG inquiry will assess whether the Gambling Commission can act decisively within its existing powers, or whether Parliament needs to redefine its role. This issue will be at the heart of the 2025 Gambling Inquiry, particularly in the context of the disproportionate size of fines and their deterrent effect. Some MPs have also called for gambling regulation to be transferred from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to the Department for Health and Social Care, with gambling harms being treated as a public health issue.

Where regulation lags behind risk

The Gambling Act 2005 was written in an era when betting shops and fixed terminals were the norm. Today, risks are often online, change quickly and are often unregulated.

Developers design gamification mechanics and microtransaction betting models to extend user time and deepen emotional engagement.

The Inquiry will examine how future regulation can fill these gaps, particularly with regard to emerging technologies, platform design and cross-border consumer protection.

Members of the public can submit their views by emailing [email protected] before 5pm on Friday 12 September 2025. The APPG   confirmed that a parliamentary testimony hearing will follow.

What are other countries doing?

To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the direction of UK regulation, the APPG will also examine the approaches of other European jurisdictions. These policy changes will provide the UK Gambling Survey 2025 with a broad context for European reform.

Sweden

Operators are required to develop targeted marketing strategies that comply with local regulations.

Italy

United Kingdom (reform in progress)

Implement a statutory levy to fund hazard prevention.

Initiate a phased affordability review.

Increases operating costs while aiming to clarify responsibilities for safer gambling.

All three are committed to reducing gambling harm, but the UK model relies more on industry-funded solutions, balancing consumer protection with operational viability.

Potential impact of reforms on the market

Industry analysts expect that regulatory pressure will accelerate market consolidation, with smaller operators struggling to cope with the additional compliance costs. The mandatory levy alone marks a shift from a voluntary annual contribution of £1 to a proportional mandatory payment.

Reforms could also reshape player behaviour. Tighter betting limits and affordability audits could reduce net spend, while higher compliance standards will force marketing teams to rebuild trust in a post-tracking world.

Regulators have yet to clarify whether and how emerging areas such as e-sports betting, influencer collaborations and decentralized gaming models should be included in the classification.

The investigation also comes against the backdrop of the Treasury’s consultation period on the Remote Betting and Gaming Tax, which closes on 21 July 2025 and has revived industry concerns about the exodus of players to offshore markets. For more on the proposed reforms to the unified remote tax and its importance to operators, see SiGMA News’ coverage of HMRC’s reform plans . Some operators believe that rising compliance costs and tax pressures are driving seamless alternatives outside of UK licensing.

A chance to rewrite the rules

With the consultation deadline set for mid-September, the APPG plans to publish its findings by the end of the year. This timeline also puts pressure on the current Labor government to either introduce a new Gambling Act by mid-2026 or make adjustments to the current Act.

The Gambling Commission's latest pilot study, the Gambling Survey UK (GSGB), showed that 2.5% of adults scored 8 or more on the PGSI scale. In contrast, long-term studies such as the Adult Mental Health Epidemiological Survey (APMS) show that the proportion of problem gamblers is only 0.4%. The Gambling Commission warns that the two data are not comparable: the GSGB uses online surveys, which may be more likely to detect high-risk behaviors; while the APMS uses face-to-face interviews, its detection rate tends to be lower. Even so, the trend towards treating gambling harms as a public health issue may affect future ministerial decisions.

For operators, this is not a drill. Speak up now or risk being excluded from the rules altogether. This call for evidence is more than just a routine procedure; it is the first step in a potential rewrite of UK gambling legislation.