Time Commitment:One Day Per Week on Average

Gambling Commission – Two Commissioners – April 2017

Post:2 x Commissioners

Term of appointment:5 years

Time commitment:One day per week on average

Location:London

Remuneration:£295 per day. Reasonable expenses will be reimbursed.

Introduction

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport is seeking to appoint two new Commissioners to the Gambling Commission.

We are looking to appoint candidates with broadly-based consumer backgrounds. In particular, we are looking for candidates with experience in consumer retail or e-commerce, and with experience in consumer welfare and public health.

While all Commissioners have shared responsibilities as Board Members, this appointmentis seeking the particular skillsets described in the Person Specification.

We intend to appoint to these roles as soon as possible.

Background

The Gambling Commission (the Commission) was set up under the Gambling Act 2005 to regulate commercial gambling in Great Britain. Since 2013, the Commission also regulates the National Lottery under the National Lottery etc Act 1993. The Commission is an independent non‐departmental public body (NDPB) sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

The Commission has around 300 staff, mostly based in Birmingham, with around 40 compliance managers working across Great Britain.

The Commission’s work is funded by fees, paid by over 3000 operators that it licenses. The British commercial gambling industry generated a gross gambling yield of £13.6bn in the year to March 2016. Of this, £4.5bn was generated by the online gambling sector. Online betting, bingo and casino games now account for over a third of the total commercial market. However, the traditional sector continues to have a significant presence with, for example, over 8000 betting shops.

In the year to March 2016 the National Lottery contributed £1.8bn to good causes, an increase of 7.2% over the previous year. Players benefitted from over £4bn in prizes.

Large society lotteries, that is society lotteries licensed directly by the Commission, contributed £208.1m to good causes in the year to March 2016.

The Commission’s activities in relation to the commercial sector are driven by the three licensing objectives in the Gambling Act 2005:

• Keep crime out of gambling.
• Ensure that gambling is conducted fairly and openly.
• Protect children and other vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling.

The Commission’s activities in relation to the National Lottery are driven by the overriding duties in the National Lottery etc Act 1993:

• That the National Lottery is run, and every lottery that forms part of it, is promoted with all due propriety.
• That the interests of every participant in a lottery that forms part of the National Lottery are protected.
• Subject to those duties, that the net proceeds of the National Lottery are as great as possible.

The Commission’s current strategic priorities

The Gambling Commission has always placed the public interest at the centre of its work. Over the coming year the Commission plans to build upon these strong foundations with an ever increasing focus on both ensuring that there are strong protections in place for vulnerable people and by empowering consumers so they can make well informed choices about their gambling behaviours.

The Commission will work to better understand consumers’ experiences of gambling, the challenges they face and the risks that gambling can bring for some people. It will use that insight to ensure that industry meets the needs of consumers and the Commission will use its strong partnerships with other regulators and the advice sector to give consumers the information they need to make effective choices about their gambling.

The gambling industry continues to grow and undergo significant and rapid change. The Commission has sought to respond to this, as well as consequent policy challenges and increased government focus. Over the last year, the Commission’s Executive has looked to give a sharper focus to consumer interests, the role of evidence and analysis and to partnership working. The Executive is also leading an internal change programme to build on the expertise, ways of working and culture of the organisation to ensure it is fit for the future.

The Commission’s remit has expanded significantly since the proliferation of online gaming and gambling, with the number of firms regulated growing substantially over the course of the past few years and the challenge of current market consolidation. The growth of gambling online has brought an increasingly digital (in particular mobile) dimension to commercial gambling, and to the National Lottery.

The Commission’s current strategic priorities include:

• The impact of digital, mobile and online technologies on gambling products and the way consumers use gambling services;
• The expansion of the market and ongoing consolidation as a result of legislation in 2014 which now sees some 3,000 operators licensed by the Commission;
• The drive to ensure industry operators take greater ownership of gambling related harm and develop effective strategies to limit this, consistent with their licence objectives;
• The strategic challenge to enable appropriate innovation of the National Lottery to provide continued public appeal and to maximise returns to good causes;
• The implementation of successful strategies to reflect new money laundering requirements, and tackle sports match fixing; and
• The implementation of a two year internal change programme and the development of a new forward strategy for the Commission.

Vacancy description

Under the leadership of the Chair, the Commissioners have responsibility for (in summary):

• Ensuring that the Gambling Commission fulfils its statutory objectives and duties;
• Ensuring that any statutory or administrative requirements for the use of public funds are complied with;
• Setting the overarching strategy for the organisation and making strategically significant decisions;
• Setting organisational risk appetite and ensuring a framework for effective identification and mitigation of top risks;
• Ensuring that the Board receives and reviews regular information and data concerning the management of the Commission;
• Setting the overarching stakeholder engagement strategy;
• Demonstrating high standards of corporate governance at all times.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

All successful candidates will demonstrate:

●An understanding of the policy and legislative environment within which a regulator such as the Gambling Commission operates;

●Evidence of achievement in the private, public or third sectors, including ability to make a strong personal contribution;

●A commitment to diversity and equality, and an understanding of this in relation to policy development and employment practice.

Additional criteria:consumer retail or e-commerce role

In addition to the essential criteria above, all successful candidates for this role will demonstrate at least one of the following:

• Understanding of the strategic significance of digital transformation in delivery of services to consumers;

• Social media marketing and personalisation across products and platforms;

• Creative industry, advertising or branding expertise or knowledge.

Additional criteria:consumer welfare and public health role

In addition to the essential criteria above, all successful candidates for this role will demonstrate at least one of the following:

• Understanding of consumer welfare policy issues;

• Demonstrable engagement with or understanding of consumer behaviour, or drivers of behaviour.

Composition of the Board

The Board currently comprises 11 Commissioners, including the Chair Bill Moyes and the Chief Executive Sarah Harrison MBE.

Time Commitment

Commissioners are expected to commit one day per week on average, with sufficient flexibility to cope with variations of workload. Commissioners will be expected to attend monthly Board meetings and other internal meetings as necessary. Commissioners may also be asked to participate in stakeholder engagement and other external events.

Remuneration

The roles currently attract a non-pensionable remuneration of £295 per day. Reasonable and properly documented expenses incurred on Commission business, in accordance with the Commission’s travel and subsistence policy, will be reimbursed.

Term of Appointment

We intend to offer these appointments for a term of five years.

Closing Date

10 July 2017 at 23:00

Interviews

Interview dates to be confirmed.

How to Apply

Applications should be made by submitting a CV and supporting statement of two pages maximum which sets out how you meet the essential criteria of the role. You should state clearly how you meet the criteria outlined in the person / role specification.

You should also complete the Conflicts of Interest Form and the Monitoring Form. The Monitoring Form will be kept separately from your application and Conflicts of Interest Form, and will not be seen by the selection panel in order to meet the Cabinet Office's Governance Code on Public Appointments.

Completed applications should be emailed to:

- please put Gambling Commission in the subject line and make it clear which role you are applying for.

If this is not possible, post a hard copy to Nicholas Dodd, Public Appointments Advisor, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 100 Parliament Street, London SW1A 2BQ.

In case of difficulty, please contact Nicholas Dodd on 020 7211 6818.

DCMS promotes an equal opportunities policy. As black and minority ethnic (BME) candidates are currently under-represented in this area, we would particularly welcome applications from BME candidates. All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process, in accordance with the Cabinet Office's Governance Code on Public Appointments, best practice. Applications are welcomed regardless of gender, age, marital status, disability, religion, ethnic origin, political opinion, sexual orientation or whether or not you have dependents.