Everyone who is anyone in ethical gambling descended on the Flutter UK & Ireland HQ in Leeds today to discuss the successes, pitfalls, hopes and plans for the future of player protection, RG and ethical practices.
The overcast morning kicked off with a keynote from the Gambling Commission’s Executive Director, Tim Miller, who provided the UK regulator’s perspective. Miller fascinatingly underlined that, to him, this position is one that remains both unobtrusive, while ensuring minimal obstruction.
Continuing, Miller underlined that to ensure innovative solutions in the UK market as a regulator, the GC’s job is to make sure it is not standing in the way: “Come to us with your ideas and tell us about your customers – because you know more about them than we ever could. We are completely open to those kinds of conversations.”
One eye on the future
Responsible Online Gambling Association Executive Director Jennifer Shatley opened the discussion by outlining that RG was actually borne out of the industry. Indeed, she highlighted that, 20 years ago, not much was known about the field – and that allowed people to be proactive because RG is always coupled with ‘problem gambling’ still to this day. However, she wants to promote a different ideology, stating: “Our audience is always our entire customer base.”
BetBlocker Founder & CEO Duncan Garvie outlined that, while progress seems slow, it has to be considered within the context of societal change – which doesn’t happen quickly. Two decades ago, gambling addiction was not considered as a serious problem –RG is now on the footer of every operator’s website. However, the key challenge is now changing the RG narrative, he outlined: “Responsible gambling is not something you should be doing if you’re experiencing gambling harm, it’s something you should be doing regardless at all times – just like wearing a seatbelt isn’t put on with the expectation of being in a car crash.
“If we are not willing to have these conversations, people will suffer in silence - and that means that there is no way for us to help.”
What other safer gambling topics were discussed?
Despite the fact that the EGF is largely centred around the UK market, prediction markets naturally muscled their way into the fold. Kirsty Caldwell of BetSmart Consulting underlined as part of her address that any operators looking to enter the prediction market space needs to think very carefully; on a global scale and certainly in the US, it is the biggest risk area of the entire industry. Duncan Garvie, BetBlocker Founder: Responsible gambling is not something you should be doing if you're experiencing gambling harm, it's something you should be doing regardless at all times
This well trodden topic is as relevant now as it is ever likely to be. Nevertheless, improvements within the regulated industry are the order of the day in West Yorkshire – as Neil Tyson of Rightway Compliance, Dan Whitlam of Alsala Compliance Consultancy, Daniel Brooks of BetComply and Wes Himes of the Betting and Gaming Council sat down to discuss key compliance failures in gambling history.
It is hard to draw on this topic without thinking of a particular instance that, despite being in the belly of the Flutter office, is not mentioned. Rather than going after the throat of any competitor, this panel recalled more personal anecdotes of key instances from speakers' respective careers. Brooks emphasised that there must be an accountability aspect that walks the line of mentoring, rather than one of degrading individuals or organisations for consistent or individual mistakes and can take a proactive approach to progressing the industry.
Indeed, over the course of the afternoon, it became increasingly clear that collaboration and honesty are key themes required for a successful, thriving and ethical ecosystem, Helen Walton, CCO & Co-Founder of B2B supplier G.Games called regulatory transparency into question, fearing that regulator, government, operator and suppliers are becoming “misaligned in their incentives, which leaves to unethical results.”
Where is responsible gambling within today's industry?
Steering the conversation back to responsible gambling, at least half a dozen speakers over the course of the day drew on the seatbelt analogy – which is growing into something of a mantra for the field. It emphasises RG can be used by everybody at any time, not just those who struggle with problem gambling.
As part of the day’s final panel, Dr Maris Catania of LeoVegas outlines that, in the Swedish market, players must set play time limits as soon as they sign up to a gambling operator platform. “RG should not come when there are markers of harm, it should be there from the start. Customers who trust the operator will stay even through a glitch or system issue. Trust is everything.”
Conclusively drawing the day to a close, education, trust, transparency and collaboration are themes drawn upon by all-but every single speaker of all panel presentations at the EGF 2026 day one, with the onus now on the industry to continue its positive path.
As always, though, what can the industry do to ensure these are hard truths, not just platitudes?
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The first ever Ethical Gambling Forum was held in Gibraltar in 2022
