Opening his address, Miller acknowledges that these are times of change in the UK - not least as the Gambling Commission is bidding a fond farewell to long-term CEO Andrew Rhodes.
Thanking Rhodes for his professional and personal contributions both to the Commission and the industry – Miller discusses more broadly that collaboration is required to help tackle the illegal market. He confirms that the Commission met with Meta at ICE 2026, who have committed to working with them on tackling the unregulated space.
He continues that the complexity of the Commission’s work has increased over recent years. Expanding on its core work as a regulator, he outlines that they will continue to evaluate the impact of the White Paper in partnership with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). He further underlines that to truly have an impact on the illegal market, the industry must look past the supplier side and truly begin to understand why players move over to the unregulated space.
Discussing the illegal operator sports sponsorship regulation - announced earlier this week – Miller underlines the restrictions that the GC has in taking on major multinational corporations and overseas criminal gangs that are often involved in these operations. However, he explains that this latest regulation marks a tangible step forward in this area and has been a very welcome update.
Miller states: “We need to protect the diversity, competitiveness and success of the regulated market in the UK.”
Continuing, he declares that the changes in regulation over the past 10 years have been needed and that he believes that the days of multi-million-pound fines occurring week-on-week appear to be behind us.
He discusses that the decision to allow sportsbooks to open spaces inside casinos has been a positive move that has promoted innovation whilst keeping customers in a safe, fair and well-regulated environment. Further, he encourages operators to come to the Commission if they have any ideas around innovations that promote industry growth while also keeping players safe.
Elsewhere, Miller observes that there is a growing appetite for crypto payments amongst players in the UK - and the Commission is looking to progress regulations in this area. The Commission’s data highlights that crypto is a key driver that leads players to unregulated sites.
“Innovation can and should be a central tool to help set the regulated space apart from the illegal market,” concludes Miller.
Taking over the stage to provide her final remarks, BGC CEO Grainne Hurst takes a moment to acknowledge Michael Dugher - who stepped down as BGC Chair earlier this year - and outgoing Rank Group CEO, John O’Reilly.
“Today’s AGM has been rich, thoughtful and serious - exactly as it needed to be. Unless we act decisively and quickly, the risk of the illegal market will continue to proliferate,” she concludes.
Miller has been with the Gambling Commission since 2016
