Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) CEO Grainne Hurst believes the body has an important role to play in countering misconceptions about gambling perpetuated in the UK media.
Speaking to iGB this week, Hurst insists the public and national media’s perception of gambling is one of her “biggest bugbears”. She believes it is providing a voice to anti-gambling lobbyists, who will never change their minds.
“I do think that there is still a slight misconception about the industry among the broader public, which is something that the BGC is working really hard to alter,” Hurst says.
In her view, one of the BGC’s key objectives is to to inform the general public of the real state of the gambling sector, using evidence to counter the negative media discourse.
“There’s a number of ways we can do,” Hurst adds.
“Having the evidence base to counter some of the myths, misconceptions and quite frankly lies that you read in the media sometimes is really important and an important role for the BGC to play.
“But also, listening to the customers and asking their views about what it is they think about whatever myth is being peddled at that particular moment in time. So I think there is a huge role for the BGC to play, and we’re working really hard at that.”
Sector should be doing more to improve its reputation, says Hurst
But she believes the sector should be doing more to alter the public’s negative perception of gambling in the UK.
She highlights huge advancements in player protection and responsible gambling, particularly following the Gambling Act review and subsequent white paper.
“We have made significant progress, but there’s more we can do,” Hurst says. “It’s frustrating because I know how proactive and responsible the industry is.
“But as we all know, kind of good news doesn’t really sell most of the time. And so it’s trying to weave that good news story into our day-to-day comms, which is really important, which we’ve been doing and will continue to do to highlight the positive elements that the industry is doing and has done already.”
How will mandatory levy funding be spent?
Hurst believes the BGC has become a unified voice for the licensed UK gambling sector, a role the body will continue to serve by communicating with external stakeholders such as the government and the Gambling Commission.
Hurst expresses concerns over the new mandatory levy, introduced this year after being recommended in the 2023 white paper.
Specifically, she holds reservations over whether funding could be used to support anti-gambling research and education, which would be harmful for those facing gambling harms, she says.
“I think continuing to lead the way in education and awareness, where we can outside of the mandatory levy, will be really important, but a lot of it now is being taken out of our hands with the new system, so just need to be conscious and careful that that’s being delivered.”
Tax harmonisation proposals another concern
Another area of concern for Hurst, the BGC and the wider UK industry is the government’s recent announcement of plans to restructure the current online gambling tax system.
Currently, the UK has three separate tax rates for online betting. Remote Gaming Duty (RGD) taxes operators at 21% of profits, General Betting Duty (GBD) at 15% of profit and Pool Betting Duty (PBD) at 15% of net stake receipts.
The government’s new proposal will consolidate the three rates into one. Stakeholders are concerned the rate will be increased to 21% across all verticals.
A recent YouGov survey suggested nearly two-thirds of bettors surveyed would turn to unlicensed operators if the gambling tax is increased.
Hurst echoes those concerns. She says fighting those proposals will be the BGC’s biggest challenge over the next few months.
“We have been very vocal about saying [the single tax rate] would be hugely self-defeating, as it wouldn’t achieve the government’s aims of trying to raise more money, which I think is the bottom line,” Hurst continues. “It will be hugely detrimental for the customer offer, and also growing the black market.
“And [the tax change would] hugely reduce the amount of support for really important British sports, namely horse racing, but others, like rugby league, darts and snooker.”
Hurst took over as BGC CEO in September last year, joining the organisation after six and a half years as Entain’s group director of corporate affairs.
During her first year leading the BGC, the sector has faced significant change and uncertainty on the implementation of white paper reforms largely happening all at once.
The UK industry has been further hampered by media scrutiny, particularly on topics such as advertising and tax.
BGC CEO Grainne Hurst says the trade body is working hard to counter anti-gambling rhetoric she believes is being reported in mainstream media.