Tim Miller has left the Gambling Commission after a decade overseeing major reforms and the launch of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB). He has started GamReg Consulting, advising governments, regulators and technology firms, with early clients including Gaming Compliance International and Spectrum Gaming Group.
Miller’s departure was completed last month, after he announced it in June. His work at the Commission included leading delivery of the 2023 white paper reforms on age verification, game design, marketing controls and financial risk checks. He says his proudest achievement was the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms, which brought financial services into harm prevention and helped prompt challenger banks such as Starling to offer gambling blocks.
The move comes as the Commission continues to implement financial risk assessments (FRAs). Chief executive Andrew Rhodes stepped down at the end of April. Miller says his decision was not prompted by the Commission’s direction: “I wasn’t looking to escape the Commission, I was just ready for the next challenge.”
Illegal market and survey debate
Miller describes the illegal market as the Commission’s biggest challenge, but cautions against expecting one regulator to tackle it alone. He compares illegal gambling with other organised criminal networks, arguing law enforcement, governments and technology companies also need to act. “If people think a gambling regulator will defeat the illegal market by itself, we’re destined to fail,” he says.
He also defends the GSGB against criticism that it overstates participation and harm. Miller says some critics have been “notably silent” about limitations in the Health Survey for England, which they tend to prefer because it reports a lower headline rate of problem gambling. He notes that the Health Survey points to a rising rate, while the GSGB indicates a broadly stable one. “There’s a single survey or a single piece of data that gives you the absolute definitive picture” is not a credible claim, he says.
Financial risk checks and player displacement
Miller says industry opposition to FRAs was fuelled partly by their being labelled affordability checks, which he considers different. He also points to the pilot’s identification of customers potentially at significant risk who were not being found by other methods. Those customers, he says, often generated substantial revenue.
He argues that properly implemented checks should reduce the need for most consumers to provide documents. The first stage covers the largest operators and customers with net deposits above £5,000 in a rolling 24-hour period, or £2,500 for under-25s; enforcement will not apply in the early stages. Final thresholds are set at £1,000 in 24 hours or £3,000 over 90 days. Miller rejects reports that the Gambling Commission board delayed its decision, calling them “Inaccurate.”
He acknowledges that regulation can push some customers offshore, but says operators’ restrictions can also send players to illegal sites. Miller plans initially to work outside the UK, sharing regulatory lessons, challenging technology platforms over illegal gambling advertising and improving communication between developers and regulators. He says he wants to preserve his independence and will not share confidential information from his time at the Commission.
Miller also calls parts of the UK debate “really toxic”, citing threats made against his family on social media. His message to the sector: “Keep your passion, but find a way to work with people who have different views.”
