**Evaluation Announcement by DCMS and UKGC**
The DCMS and the UK Gambling Commission have unveiled their “Evaluation Plan” focused on assessing the impacts of the measures introduced by the Gambling Act Review.
The research to evaluate these measures will be handled by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), starting with a preliminary study in January 2024. Comprehensive fieldwork is slated to begin in January 2025, with findings projected to be revealed through a final report in 2026.
**DCMS Remarks**
The DCMS prefaced the initiative stating, “The gambling white paper outlines over 60 proposed measures, each involving various stakeholders, which makes it a complex initiative. The differing schedules and implementation strategies of these measures, together with their overlapping outcomes, complicate assigning specific results to any single action.”
To tackle this complexity, DCMS and the Gambling Commission are collaborating on a plan to evaluate the efficacy and effects of these policy measures.
**Evaluation Goals**
The evaluation seeks to understand the direct and indirect effects of the policy measures outlined in the Gambling Review White Paper and to assess how well these measures were applied and influenced by various dynamics, including the expected changes following the July 2024 General Election.
The overall aim is to present an unbiased evaluation of these policies to improve stakeholders’ learning outcomes, assisting them in developing more effective policies for UK gambling.
**Key Evaluation Questions**
The investigative fieldwork aims to answer seven essential questions:
1. **Outcomes and Impacts**: What were the intended outcomes, and what unexpected results emerged?
2. **Implementation**: Were proposals applied as planned and effectively? What changes occurred, and why?
3. **Contributions**: How have these measures helped in:
– Mitigating gambling-related harm to vulnerable groups.
– Bolstering gambling safeguards without restricting consumer choice.
– Establishing fair regulations for the sector.
4. **Combined Impact**: What was the cumulative influence of all measures?
5. **Success Factors**: Which conditions enabled the success of these policies?
6. **Contextual Influences**: How did internal and external factors affect policy success or failure?
7. **Future Policy**: What insights can enhance future gambling-related policymaking?
**Ethics and Governance Oversight**
To ensure a robust ethical framework, DCMS and the Gambling Commission are incorporating a diverse range of feedback, emphasizing the role of individuals with firsthand experience with gambling-related issues. They will set up a “Lived Experience Panel,” aligning with already existing advisory groups to infuse real-world insights into the evaluation process.
An Advisory Group composed of gambling policy and research experts will aid the research by providing independent advice, ensuring all evaluations uphold high standards and anticipate potential risks without influencing policy development. NatCen will oversee the workings of this group.
**Commitment and Future Directions**
DCMS has reiterated its dedication to performing a thorough and ethically sound evaluation of the Gambling Act Review’s policies to better understand their regulatory and societal impacts.
Recently, Gambling Minister Baroness Twycross highlighted in her address at the GambleAware Annual Conference that the Labour government is resolved to adopt all the policy suggestions from the Gambling Review, marking a pivotal “new era of accountability for UK gambling.”