On July 1, 2024, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) introduced significant changes to the regulatory reporting requirements for all licensed operators. The update to Licence Condition 15.3.1 - General and regulatory returns of the Licence Conditions and Code of Practice (LCCP) now mandates that licensees submit their regulatory returns on a quarterly basis within 28 days of the end of each reporting period. This shift from annual to quarterly submissions aims to enhance the Commission’s ability to regulate the gambling industry more effectively through timely and comprehensive data collection.

Quarterly Submissions and Harmonised Reporting Periods

UKGC Data Analytics Manager Jason Davies elaborated on the new requirements, stating that quarterly returns support the Commission's goal to be a risk-based, evidence-led, and outcomes-focused regulator. The change aligns with the aspirations outlined in the UKGC's Corporate Strategy 2024 to 2027, emphasizing data and analytics to improve gambling regulation.

In addition to the quarterly submissions, the UKGC has introduced harmonized reporting periods. This means that all licensees will submit data for the same time frame, beginning with the period from July 1, 2024, to September 30, 2024. Davies highlighted that more regular data collection, coupled with harmonized reporting periods, will enable the Commission to analyze market changes promptly and manage income more effectively. Furthermore, it allows for more frequent publication of official statistics, which can be utilized by those studying the gambling market.

Addressing Concerns and Streamlining Processes

While some licensees expressed concerns about the increased frequency of reporting during the consultation process, the UKGC has made efforts to balance these concerns. One significant measure has been the reduction of the number of questions across all return types in the regulatory submissions. The Commission has detailed all the removed questions in the "Question removal" section of the Regulatory returns changes effective from July 1, 2024.

The transition to quarterly regulatory returns meant that most licensees saw their last return, whether on an annual or quarterly cycle, changed to end on June 30, 2024. This adjustment was necessary to align all licensees with the new reporting schedule starting from July 1, 2024. Consequently, most licensees are required to submit a partial return. Licensees who previously completed quarterly returns need to submit their partial returns by July 28, 2024, while those who previously completed annual returns have until August 12, 2024, to submit. Licensees can log into eServices to complete their submissions.

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Enhanced Guidance and Ongoing Improvements

The UKGC has also updated the Regulatory returns guidance to reflect these changes. References to fields that have been removed from regulatory returns as of July 1, 2024, have been deleted, and definitions for fields previously calculated automatically within eServices have been added.

Acknowledging the feedback from licensees about unclear guidance for some questions, the UKGC is working on further improvements. The Commission aims to review and update the guidance by the end of August 2024 to add more clarity without changing the fundamental requirements.

Source: Making improvements to regulatory returns, Gambling Commission, July 17, 2024.