Ruth Evans has been appointed chair of the Gambling Commission for a five-year term beginning on 30 September, according to a government announcement issued on 7 September. Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, made the appointment, and Evans will take over from Charles Counsell, who has been serving as interim chair.
The post was filled under the Gambling Act 2005, which gives the Secretary of State responsibility for appointing the commission’s chair. The commission’s public appointment notice says the regulator was set up to oversee commercial gambling in Great Britain, and that the chair is meant to provide strategic leadership and hold the executive to account for the business plan and forward strategy.
The role sits at the centre of a busy agenda. The appointment notice says the commission’s statutory objectives are to keep crime out of gambling, ensure gambling is fair and open, and protect children and vulnerable people from harm or exploitation. It also says the chair will be expected to engage with DCMS on gambling reform, drive improvements in consumer protection, tackle anti-money laundering and illegal gambling, and oversee the fourth National Lottery licence.
In her announcement, Nandy said Evans was coming in at “this incredibly important time,” with the commission meant to support a sustainable industry while maintaining essential protections to prevent harm. Evans said her career in consumer protection had shown her that better outcomes come from collaboration between regulators, industry and the technology sector, and that she wanted to work on online safety, stronger consumer protections and a responsible, innovative gambling sector.
Evans is best known as chair of Stop Scams UK, where she leads collaboration between banks, technology companies and telecoms firms. She also chaired the steering group that delivered a voluntary code to reimburse victims of authorised push payment scams in 2018, and has held senior posts including chair of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, the first chair of the Bar Standards Board, a lay member of the General Medical Council and a non-executive director at the Serious Fraud Office.
Counsell thanked Evans for bringing regulatory and consumer experience to the board, saying it would be valuable as the commission develops a new strategy, expands its work against illegal gambling and completes its part in implementing the Gambling Act Review. The Gambling Commission said the appointment provided stability during an important period under Counsell’s interim leadership.
