Neil McArthur has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC).
McArthur had previously been serving as the UKGC's Interim CEO since the departure of the Commission’s former leader Sarah Harrison MBE.
Before taking this role, McArthur was the Commission's General Counsel and was in charge of legal actions, enforcement, and compliance directives.
Great News For UKGC
The Chairman of the Commission, Bill Moyes, confirmed this decision and said that Neil's appointment was great news for the Commission since McArthur brought to the role a thorough understanding of gambling issues and regulation, along with a proven commitment to making gambling fairer and safer.
Moyes added he was looking forward to working even more closely with Neil as he led the Commission to make significant progress in raising standards, protecting consumers and the public from gambling-related harm and improving the performance of the National Lottery.
McArthur becomes the leader of the UKGC at a crucial time for the British betting and gambling industry sector.
More Work In The Future
The government is expected to announce its decision regarding the new policies related to FOBT machine wagering, and the judgment will include the new advertising standards related to the industry as a whole.
In addition to this, the betting and gambling operators working under the UK license are obliged to raise the social responsibility standards, get more financial control and increase their contribution to industry charity named GambleAware.
Regarding these measures, McArthur said that he was looking forward to the challenge that lied ahead to make gambling fairer and safer. He pointed out he was really proud of the Commission's achievements over the last twelve years but emphasized there was a lot more to do in the future.
McArthur stated that ensuring consumers were empowered to make informed choices about gambling while addressing and reducing the harms that could come from gambling was a challenge that could not be overcome by the Commission alone.
He added the Commission needed continued strong partnerships with other regulators, consumer representatives, and government, but most importantly it required gambling operators to treat their customers fairly.
