UK regulator hires industry veterans ahead of PoC
Regulator brings in Ladbrokes' veteran Sue Harley and former Betfair director of group compliance Roger Parkes to bolster team
The UK Gambling Commission has moved to strengthen its senior team with the hire of two industry veterans as the regulator gears-up to implement its new online regulatory framework this summer.
Ladbrokes customer services director Sue Harley and Roger Parkes, former director of group compliance at Betfair, have both joined the regulator to provide expertise and insight to support the Commission’s work in regulating remote gambling operators based offshore.
Harley has joined the Commission on a fixed-term contract to cover the maternity leave of Sarah Gardner, the regulator’s director of planning and performance.
Harley boasts more than 18 years’ experience at Ladbrokes where prior to her most recent role as customer services director she spent 10 years as the operator’s first compliance director.
Parkes has spent more than 25 years in the gambling industry with around 18 years’ regulatory experience in Australia and New Zealand and with the Alderney Gambling Control Commission.
He has worked in both the online and offline commercial industry holding positions with companies such as Casinos Austria, Playboy and more recently Betfair.
According to the regulator, the appointments will supplement the Commission’s existing expertise in areas such as enforcement, legal, intelligence gathering and player protection.
“We are delighted to have Sue and Roger working with us,” Jenny Williams, chief executive at the Commission, said. “Their experience and industry knowledge will prove invaluable as we move towards implementation of the changes to remote gambling regulation.”
The regulator is looking to beef up its capabilities after being tasked with regulating both UK-based and overseas operators once the Point of Consumption (PoC) framework comes into force as expected this summer.
In February, eGaming Review reported that the Commission was looking to fill three newly-created roles to further bolster its industry knowledge, however appointments for these positions have yet to be made.
The Birmingham-based regulator currently employs a team of more than 200, but despite the recent hires and new roles it doesn’t expect this number to swell significantly in the run up to PoC implementation.