The Gambling Commission has set out its next round of consultations implementing the recommendations of the Government's Gambling Act Review White Paper.

Writing on the Commission's website, GC's Executive Director of Research and Policy Tim Miller, confirmed that:

"Our forthcoming consultations will continue to fulfil our aim to progress White Paper recommendations at pace, but also address other aspects of our regulation to make us fit for the future."

He said the Commission intends to consult on the following seven topics "in the coming weeks":

• socially responsible incentives – we will consult on proposals relating to incentives such as free bets and bonuses, to make sure they do not encourage harmful or excessive gambling

• customer-led tools – we will consult on proposals to empower consumers and make it easier for them to manage their gambling in ways that work for them, such as deposit limits

• transparency of protection of customer funds – we will consult on proposals to increase transparency to consumers if their funds are held by licensees that offer no protection in the event of insolvency

• requirement to make annual financial contributions to Research, Prevention and Treatment - we will consult on removing the existing requirement to contribute to a set list of research, prevention and treatment bodies in the context of Government proposals to introduce a statutory levy in the future

• regulatory data – as explained in Ben Haden's making better use of operator data blog, we will be consulting on increasing the frequency of reporting for many licensees from annual to quarterly

• financial penalties – our enforcement activity has ramped up in recent years and we are proposing changes to the way in which we calculate the penal element of financial penalties imposed following a breach. Our proposals will seek to bring greater clarity and transparency to the way we calculate such penalties. This will include measures to ensure that penalties are set at a level where the costs of non-compliance outweigh the costs of compliance

• financial key event reporting – we propose to amend our rules so that licensees provide us with relevant information about their finances and interests, enabling us to strengthen our risk-based approach to regulation. This is particularly important given the changes seen in the sector over recent times, particularly the increase in complexity of mergers and acquisitions and the globalisation of gambling.

He continued:

"We also continue to support our sponsoring department, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, with its work to implement the Gambling Act Review, and will continue to do so as Government considers the outcomes of their recent and current consultations on stake limits for online slots, land-based measures and the introduction of a statutory levy.

"We are rightly putting emphasis on implementing the Government’s Gambling Act Review recommendations. This goes hand in hand with our vital regulatory ‘business as usual’, to keep gambling safe, fair and crime free."