The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has changed its internal policy on the management of licences ‘to make better use of its resources to govern the gambling sector’.   

Changes will see the Commission move away from its existing model in which it has assigned a ‘dedicated account manager’ for individual licences.

The working model will be replaced by the use of ‘four sub-groups’ that will be responsible for different areas of work related to the management of licences.

The sub-groups comprise of :-

• The Operating Licence New Group – responsible for processing applications for new operator licences,

• The Change of Corporate Control Group – responsible for processing applications relating to changes of ownership and control for existing operators,

• The Operating Licence Vary Group – responsible for processing applications relating to changes to existing operator licences, and

• The Personal Licence group – responsible for processing all applications relating to personal licences.

As a result of changes,  operators will no longer have an individual point of contact with the UKGC.

The Changes will have no impact on how new businesses can apply for UK gambling licences, that should be submitted through the ‘Digital Services’ section of the Commission’s website.

Licence applications will be assigned to a caseworker, who will provide businesses with an ‘estimated timeline for determination’.  

 “We are changing our working practices to make the best use of our resources. By working in this way, we hope to be able to process applications more quickly. We also hope to be able to resolve queries more efficiently and effectively.” – The Commission notified.