IoL Annual Conference 2025 – Ian Angus speech dissected
At the Institute of Licensing Conference, on 27 November 2025, the Gambling Commission’s Director of Policy, Ian Angus delivered a speech centred on collaboration between the Commission and local authorities.
Here, we look at the main points covered, and will offer some insights into the potential implications for the industry and players.
Participation figures stable
Angus began by summarising recently-published statistics concerning the state of the British gambling industry. These come from the latest iteration of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB).
48% of adults who took part in the survey had engaged with some form of gambling in the previous four weeks. This is a standard metric of participation for the UKGC, and the figure has remained stable for several years now.
The main activities are playing the National Lottery, charity lotteries and scratchcards. Slots account for around 5% of gambling.
In-person betting doing well
Overall, 38% were more likely to gamble online, compared to 29% in-person. However, much online gambling is lottery-related. When removing lottery play, in-person gambling is in fact marginally more popular (by 2%). As Angus points out, this “shows the continuing role gambling in-person has”.
£4.8 billion of Gross Gambling Yield came from 8,234 in-person betting premises. Compared to previous years, the number of physical premises has declined, but the brick-and-mortar industry is still clearly pulling its weight.
Praise and promises for local authorities…
The Commission governs gambling on a national level, but local councils and law enforcement agencies have significant powers when it comes to licensing and enforcement of policies.
The UKGC works with local authorities “to gather data, protect the vulnerable from harm and to share intelligence”. Angus praises “the hard work that local authorities do in this space”.
Angus also made pledges to local authorities that the Commission would not encroach on their responsibilities or powers, and that they will continue to work closely together to share data.
… but not all of them
Much of Angus’ speech was dedicated to these relationships. However, he stressed that “there are some local authorities who aren’t as active” as they should be. It “cannot be the role of the national regulator to fill any gaps left in local regulation”.
Angus makes a good point here. Collaboration is vital for both the wellbeing of the industry and player safety. The minority of local authorities who aren’t active enough, especially in terms of enforcing compliance, must step up to the plate.
The inspection data is a source of concern. 94% of local authorities sent Licensing Authority Returns. These show that “roughly a third of LAs didn’t conduct any inspections of gambling premises in their areas”. The total number of inspections has dropped by a third since 2019-20.
The Commission can’t do their work for these councils, but it should be holding them accountable.
Gambling Act Review updates
The Commission is still in the midst of implementing regulatory changes informed by the 2023 Gambling White Paper and regulatory review.
Angus summarised recent developments in regulation, focusing on the results of the Summer consultation on Gaming Machines and technical standards, which received over 1,000 responses.
The outcomes of the consultation included amending and introducing certain requirements, including clearer technical standards, safer gambling messaging and player-set limits.
These changes have been in the works for a while, so they won’t come as a surprise to anyone. Also, they’re motivated by transparency, fairness and player wellbeing, so they’re not likely to prove controversial.
Land-based consultations still ongoing
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is currently holding consultations relating to land-based gambling.
Attention has turned to Category D gambling machines, which includes standard arcade games such as “crane grabs, coin pushers, and non-money prize machines”. There is a proposed overhaul of stakes and prizes for these.
Also, the DCMS is looking to redefine certain licences to ensure that premises offering bingo and Adult Gaming Centres aren’t lumped in together.
This is a sensible move that promises to tailor licences to the specific offerings of an operator, rather than reductively treating all service providers the same.
More power for local authorities?
The Government is considering giving local authorities the ability to carry out Cumulative Impact Assessments. These are localised analyses of how the concentration of licences in a specific area can impact the region.
Angus cites a 2023 case in which Sheffield City Council fought for the right to not issue a licence to an Adult Gaming Centre. The case went all the way to court, and the ruling was ultimately in the Council’s favour.
In the future, we may see local authorities given more power to issue or deny licences. This will be welcomed by many campaigners, but may lead to unfair or unjustified rejections for some operators.
Summary
In his speech, Ian Angus speaks highly of the co-regulatory model, but highlights a few areas for improvement, including a minority of local authorities who are letting their sides down. His ultimate message is one of collaboration and communication. The land-based sector is alive and well, despite a few murky legislations. This illustrates that, when all involved fulfil their roles, the system works.