UKGC emphasises it does not support or endorse external accreditation services as a way of complying with the LCCP
Categories: News
The Gambling Commission has today (7 January 2021) published on its website the following reminder to gambling businesses:
Reminder to gambling businesses: external accreditation of compliance with the LCCP
07 January 2021
We do not support or endorse any external accreditation service as a way of complying with the LCCP.
We would like to remind licensed gambling businesses and third parties supplying services to them that we do not endorse or support external accreditation standards as a means of achieving compliance with the Licensing Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP). The Commission’s focus is on compliance with the LCCP rather than the means by which this is achieved. We will not, as a matter of routine, provide comment on such external accreditation standards.
The precise reason for publication of this reminder is presently unknown, but examples of external accreditation standards include, notably, GamCare’s Safer Gambling Standard providing “social responsibility accreditation for the gambling industry”, by means of an “independent quality standard that assesses the measures gambling businesses have in place to protect people from gambling-related harm”.
In our view:
- the Gambling Commission’s above reminder says nothing new because, as far as we are aware, the Commission has never supported or endorsed any external accreditation service as a way of complying with the LCCP; indeed it would be wholly inappropriate for it to do so, and
- furthermore, its reminder should not be interpreted as criticism of GamCare’s Safer Gambling Standard or of any similarly reputable external accreditation services or accredited training courses provided for gambling businesses.