The UK Gambling Commission recently stated that it will implement a series of new regulatory and data reform measures based on the independent review results of the Gambling Statistics for Great Britain (GSGB) conducted by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR).
The Commission welcomed the recommendations from OSR, believing that they will further enhance the credibility of industry data and policy transparency.
As an important data source for the UK gambling industry, GSGB regularly collects and publishes a large amount of market information each year, reflecting industry trends and potential risks. To improve data quality and credibility, the Gambling Commission had previously requested OSR to independently assess GSGB according to the "Code of Practice for Statistics" to promote the review and reform process.
Following feedback from OSR, the Gambling Commission has developed and launched a new survey improvement plan, including optimizing questionnaire design and introducing data from third parties such as Gamstop as a basis for comparison, enhancing the accuracy and verifiability of survey results. Additionally, the Commission plans to make technical adjustments to the publication methods of the GSGB reports to enhance data accessibility and user experience.
The Commission also revealed that it will introduce a comparative analysis mechanism with the English Health Survey and the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey to promote multidimensional cross-validation. Moreover, a new communication strategy will be developed to improve the public and policymakers' understanding and efficiency in using GSGB data.
Ben Haden, head of research and statistics at the Gambling Commission, stated: "We appreciate the review results from OSR and recognize the professional insights expressed in their report. We particularly value the recommendations made, which are highly consistent with the direction of reforms we are currently undertaking."
This reform not only helps to improve the regulatory mechanisms of the gambling industry but also highlights the Gambling Commission's ongoing efforts to ensure data integrity and promote transparency in policy-making.
