Britain’s Gambling Commission is on the lookout for new leadership after two of its most senior figures – its Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director – departed this year.
Former Commission CEO Andrew Rhodes stepped down from the role in March this year, ending a five year stint with the regulator to begin a new career in consultancy.
The Commission is now advertising for a new CEO – a little later than many may have expected, with the job spec being issued some seven months after Rhodes departed for his new role with Hawkbridge, and eight months after his departure was announced.
Since Rhodes’ departure, the CEO role has been held on an interim basis by Sarah Gardner, who was also Acting CEO during the transition period between Rhodes and his predecessor, Neil McArthur.
What does the Commission CEO do?
As you’d expect, the CEO of the Gambling Commission is responsible for overseeing the overall operations and strategy of the gambling regulator.
The regulator’s geographic remit covers Great Britain and involves the enforcement of the 2005 Gambling Act, but it does not cover Northern Ireland, which has its own legislation.
A job spec penned by Commission Chair, Ruth Evans, lists the CEO’s responsibilities:
- Leading a “talented and committed workforce
- Working closely with the Commission’s board and a range of stakeholders
- Proving “visible leadership” for the organisation, taking into account complex and high profile public policy issues
- Strategic and operational leadership and sound judgement
- A “deep commitment to public service”
- Translating strategic ambition into delivery
- Ensuring the Commission remains respected, trusted and influential
“This is an exciting time to join the Commission,” Evans wrote. “We have ambitious plans for the future and a clear strategic direction, underpinned by our commitment to being an effective, evidence-led and outcomes-focused regulator.
“We are looking for a Chief Executive who can lead the organisation in delivering that ambition, building on our achievements and ensuring we continue to respond successfully to a rapidly changing environment.”
The Commission’s ideal applicant is someone with a “clear commitment to public service” who also has the ability to lead a dynamic and high-profile organisation operating within a challenging environment.
Do the challenges match the pay?
The regulator certainly isn’t lying when it notes the current UK gambling landscape as challenging, including for those regulating it. The Commission has found itself in the public firing line a lot this year
This included a deluge of criticism around the implementation of Financial Risk Assessments (FRAs), known colloquially as affordability checks. Both betting and horse racing projected a huge negative impact from the checks, a flagship measure of the government’s 2020-2023 review of the Gambling Act, and even some gambling reform campaigners were critical of the process.
Additionally, the regulator currently finds itself overseeing a sector undergoing structural change and extensive cost cutting as a result of a new tax regime coming into effect on 1 April. Further taxes are now expected as Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Healey, prepares his Autumn Budget.
It has also found itself taking a frontline role, as one would expect, in the fight against illegal gambling. The government allocated an extra £26m in public funding for the Commision to counter illegal gambling, and the regulator’s former Executive Director, Tim Miller, was very vocal about the social media firms shoulder in battling unlicensed platforms.
So, what is the Commission paying for this role? The new CEO’s salary has been advertised as £190,000. While this is way above the mean average UK salary of £48,512 (according to Starling Bank), how does it compare to others?
- According to Civil Society, the average salary of the CEO of a major UK charity is £192,000.
- The CEOs of FTSE 100 companies earned an average salary of £4.4m in 2025, according to Sky News.
- The salaries of the CEOs of major UK law firms can be anywhere from £300,000-£380,000 to just under £2m, according to different listings on Glassdoor.
This is not to say that the £190,000 isn’t a substantial sum of money – as noted above, it’s way above what the average worker in the UK, whether in the public or private sector, takes home a year.
However, for a job which requires overseeing regulation of Europe’s largest gambling market with gross gambling yield of £17.5bn from March 2025-April 2026, and the second largest in the world by online traffic according to Blask, some people with the experience required of the Commission CEO role may expect a bit more remuneration from their government.