UKGC Appoints New Chair For Responsible Strategy Board

United Kingdom Gambling Commission has named Dr Anna van der Gaag as regulatory body's Chair for the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board (RGSB).

She will be joining the Board with immediate effect, succeeding Sir Christopher Kelly who shall be retiring from the position of Chair in March next year.

Big Responsibility

RGSB consists of UKGC's group of expert advisors who offer their insight and ideas on actions to be taken in regards to research, education and treatment needed to tackle issues relating to gambling-induced harm.

Dr. Anna van der Gaag is a former Chair of the Health and Care Professions Council, a non-executive director at Health Education England and the Kent Surrey and Sussex Academic Health Science Network.

She is also a founding member of the Health Foundation's quality improvement network dubbed Q Community, a Visiting Professor of Ethics and Regulation at the University of Surrey. For her services to health and care, she was awarded the CBE in 2015.

Her interest and experience in regulators' proactive approach to prevention of gambling harm will come to fore in her new role with UKGC.

New National Strategy Due in Spring

The Gambling Commission's Chair, Bill Moyes, welcomed Dr van der Gaag with big pleasure, announcing that she brings with her a wealth of experience in health social care and prevention of harm. “It will be an asset in advising on how to implement the next National Strategy, which will launch in April 2019 and on which we will shortly be consulting,” he added.

Departing Chair for RGSB, Sir Cristopher Kelly, stated: “I am delighted to welcome Dr Anna van der Gaag as my successor. Anna’s strong background in research and regulation provides a solid foundation to provide authoritative advice on the next strategy and to achieve our aim - to reduce the impact of gambling-related harms, especially among the most vulnerable.”

In her first statement since her appointment, Dr van der Gaag stressed that gambling-related harms are becoming increasingly recognized as a public health issue that require “robust collective action.”

“I am thrilled by this opportunity to join a team with such a passionate commitment to understanding and reducing harms and raising awareness of the personal and societal costs that can arise from gambling activities."

More Personnel Changes in Store

The Responsible Gambling Strategy Board was instated by the UKGC in 2008 in order to provide background to members of the Commission on programmes related to treatment and education.

The advice they provide is passed on to British government which comes up with legal framework for regulations...

...and in order to provide further expertise in the fields of public health and safeguarding vulnerable people, UKGC will be appointing three new Board members before the year ends. This comes soon after the Commission called for a united stance from everyone involved in the industry to make Britain safer and fairer.

Last month, Rank Group was fined £500,000 for failing to live up to their duties of protecting vulnerable gamblers.

The Commission's latest findings revealed that approximately 90% of pubs in England disregard their duty of keeping underage people away from their gaming machines.

Source:

“Gambling Commission appoints Dr. Anna van der Gaag as Chair of the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board”, gamblingcommission.gov.uk, November 19, 2018.