British MPs heavily involved in campaigns for greater gambling reform are reportedly concerned about the appointment of new Allwyn UK Interim Chief Executive Officer, Phil Walker.

It is the latest bone that MPs Iain Duncan Smith and Dawn Butler have to pick with the gambling industry, with both taking issue about Walker’s time at William Hill. 

In a letter written to the Gambling Commission, seen by national publication The Guardian, the duo describe feeling as “deeply concerned” about the new Allwyn UK appointment. 

Walker held senior executive roles at William Hill for over four years, and was also Chief Commercial Officer at 888 Holdings (now evoke) between 2023-2024, following the firm’s acquisition of William Hill in 2021.

MPs take issue with Allwyn UK CEO’s past

He was the group’s UK and Ireland Managing Director when it was ordered to pay a £19.2m settlement to the UK’s Gambling Commission in March 2023 for social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures.

This remains the biggest figure on record that a company has had to pay in the Commission’s history, and came about due to social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures.

An investigation found a plethora of KYC failures, with the then-CEO of the Commission, Andrew Rhodes, noting that the regulator gave “serious consideration to licence suspension”.

Walker remains a Non-Executive Director of City Gaming according to his LinkedIn, and will hold the role until the beginning of next month. City Gaming is a business which owns adult gaming centre (AGC) operator Game Nation. 

This is also a problem for Duncan Smith and Butler, as it puts Walker at odds with current Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who is looking to scrap the Aim to Permit rule in order to reduce the amount of betting shops on the high street. 

Given the 2023 settlement mentioned above, some may be able to see why the MPs have taken issue with the appointment.

However, given Smith and Butler’s vocal dislike of the current state of betting regulations and industry practices, there is also every chance that the MPs would criticise any CEO appointment at the lottery operator with a background in betting.

And in fairness to Allwyn UK, lottery is a form of gambling – so it makes sense to have someone with direct experience of this industry, and at no less than one of the UK’s oldest and largest retail betting brands, to take on the leadership role.

While this is a topic that should be handled with care, particularly when it comes to appointing someone to the helm of the company that runs the National Lottery, it is not as though Allwyn UK would look for someone lacking leadership experience in the industry. 

Also, many of the country’s biggest gambling operators have been penalised by the regulator over the years. William Hill’s penalty came just a year after one of its biggest rivals, Ladbrokes Coral owner Entain, was charged £17.2m for similar failures.

SBC News has approached Allwyn for comment.