Open consultation

Consultation on banning unlicensed gambling sponsorship

Published 15 July 2026

This was published under the 2024 to 2026 Starmer Labour government

Executive summary

Under current legislation, businesses are able to enter into advertising and sponsorship arrangements with gambling operators which are not licensed by the Gambling Commission, so long as those operators’ services cannot be accessed by consumers in Great Britain. Unlicensed operators prevent access to their services by geo-blocking their websites. However, this can be circumvented by consumers using a virtual private network (VPN). This has become a particular issue over the past year in the sporting sector, particularly football, as the result of changes in the advertising landscape.

We want to change this. The current legislation undermines the gambling licensing and advertising regulatory frameworks, which aim to protect consumers in Great Britain and reduce the risk of money-laundering and crime. Specifically, our rationale for change is driven by three core objectives:

• to protect consumers, especially young people and those who are vulnerable, from unregulated platforms that may not offer adequate player protections or fraud recourse;
• to defend the integrity of our domestic market by ensuring advertising footprints are exclusive to operators who are required to adhere to the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP); and
• in the sport sector, to eliminate money laundering vulnerabilities within football clubs and agents that have been flagged within our National Risk Assessment.

We are therefore consulting on legislative changes to ban unlicensed gambling sponsorships and advertising in Great Britain across all sectors, including sport. We are proposing using secondary legislation to do so.

We previously indicated our intention to consult on banning unlicensed sponsorship in the sport sector, and this consultation focuses on how that could work in practice. The ban will target any physical forms or manifestations of advertising or sponsorship. Within a sporting context, this will include kit and equipment sponsorships, pitch side billboards, tournament programmes, venue infrastructure, and the naming of events, leagues and venues. This will make it a criminal offence for any club, league, event, venue, individual or related assets to advertise or be sponsored by a gambling operator not licensed by the Gambling Commission when operating in Great Britain. We also intend to apply this ban to all sectors, to avoid other sectors replacing sport as an alternative vehicle for unlicensed sponsorship.

We believe that although most sectors and sports will be unaffected, some sports or clubs will be impacted. For example, a number of football clubs have or have had sponsorship deals with gambling operators that do not hold a licence to operate in Great Britain. We want to introduce this ban as quickly as possible. In recognition that football is the primary source of unlicensed gambling sponsorships and advertising, our preferred option is to implement this ban from a fixed date in August 2027, ahead of the 2027/28 football season. This should minimise commercial disruption and allow time to secure legitimate replacements. Nevertheless, we encourage responses from all relevant stakeholders so that we can evaluate the extent of any impacts and determine how best a ban should be implemented.

Introduction

In Great Britain, it is an offence to advertise unlawful gambling under the Gambling Act 2005^{[footnote 1]}. However, there are some gambling operators who are not licensed by the Gambling Commission (“unlicensed operators”) but which advertise with and sponsor sports. This is not unlawful, provided the unlicensed operators’ services are inaccessible to consumers in Great Britain. We are not aware of any sponsorships or advertising with unlicensed operators in other sectors besides sport, but they are theoretically possible.

Introduction to white labels

White labelling is a lawful arrangement whereby a Gambling Commission licensed operator offers remote (primarily online) gambling under a brand provided by a third party. The licensee is the white label provider, whilst the third-party brand is often referred to as the white label partner. White labelling is not unique to gambling and is common in many industries.

There are a number of reasons why businesses may enter into white label partnerships. These include:

1. Using third-party branding: An online operator can leverage a third-party brand to attract new consumers. Becoming a white label partner can be attractive to third parties adept in marketing. The third party or white label partner can also derive commercial benefits through receiving a share of the licensee’s profit or through greater brand exposure. This model is frequently utilised by major domestic media publications or established entertainment brands to offer gaming services directly to their existing audience footprint.

2. A land-based operator wanting an online presence: If a land-based gambling operator does not have the expertise or resources to set up and maintain a gambling website, they could partner with an online operator via a website carrying their branding.

3. Providing a licence for operators: A gambling operator provides an umbrella under which the partner provides facilities for gambling. In this situation, although the partner provides facilities for gambling, it does not require a licence itself, because it is covered by section 33(3) of the Gambling Act 2005.

4. Foreign operator entering GB market: A gambling operator from another jurisdiction may partner with a licensee in the British market to test their brand’s ability to generate gambling profits and grow brand awareness with a new consumer base. Alternatively, they may do this to raise awareness of their brand and therefore revenue in their existing markets, for example through sponsorship.

The last of these rationales is commonly seen in sport. Overseas brands enter into white label agreements to allow them to sponsor or advertise with high profile sports, particularly Premier League football teams. While these brands will attract a GB consumer base by doing so, their primary goal is to advertise their brand to the global audience that sport provides.

Emergence of unlicensed gambling sponsors

TGP Europe, which held a Gambling Commission licence from November 2014 to May 2025, was the white label provider for many overseas white label partners. Many of which were in sponsorship or advertising arrangements with Premier League and Championship football clubs. This enabled those overseas operators to advertise to the global audience provided by top-flight football.

However, in May 2025, the Gambling Commission found that TGP Europe was failing to carry out sufficient checks on business partners and breaching anti-money laundering rules. It surrendered its Gambling Commission licence and left the British market.

TGP Europe’s departure left its overseas white label partners unlicensed in Great Britain and their partnered football clubs at risk of advertising unlawful gambling.

This situation highlighted a legislative gap which allows clubs to continue to maintain sponsorships with unlicensed operators, provided that the services offered by these operators are not accessible to consumers in Great Britain. The Gambling Commission had engaged with clubs over many years to warn them of the risks of promoting unlawful gambling. It had also sought assurances that clubs have carried out due diligence on their sponsors, so that consumers in Great Britain cannot transact with unlicensed websites.

However, the government is aware that some unlicensed operators’ websites are easily accessible using a virtual private network (VPN). This means these unlicensed operators are still advertising to consumers in Great Britain who can access their sites.

This risk landscape is further mirrored across adjacent sectors. For instance, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) recently raised concerns about top-flight football clubs entering into commercial partnerships with unauthorised firms, including cryptocurrency exchanges and trading platforms. The FCA noted that such firms may be breaching UK financial services law by providing financial services without authorisation or by communicating financial promotions unlawfully.

The FCA has warned that these arrangements risk exposing consumers to harm and indicated that clubs may face potential legal exposure, financial crime risks (including under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002), and significant reputational damage if appropriate due diligence is not undertaken.

The government expects that any new or replacement sponsorship or advertising deals within sport, as a result of this ban, are with businesses which, if necessary, are regulated or authorised by their relevant body to operate in Great Britain. This would also apply to other sectors of the economy as appropriate.

Rationale for change

Our rationale for change is based around a number of key factors. These are:

• to protect consumers from unlicensed operators that may not offer adequate player protections or fraud recourse
• to ensure the integrity of the domestic gambling market; and
• in the sport sector, to eliminate money-laundering vulnerabilities in sport due to connections between some unlicensed operators and organised crime.

Protecting consumers

We wish to reduce exposure to unlicensed gambling in Great Britain to better protect consumers from the increased risks from the illegal market. A Gambling Commission report found that engagement with the illegal market, as in the regulated market, is higher among vulnerable groups such as younger individuals, those who gamble more frequently, and those who score higher on the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI). The research also found that engagement with the illegal market is typically supplementary to engagement with the licensed market. This supplementary behaviour suggests that consumers frequently fail to distinguish between legal and illegal operators.

This lack of differentiation for consumers between licensed and unlicensed sites heightens the risks associated with their sponsorship and advertising in sport, as these arrangements with high-profile clubs and competitions act as implicit stamps of legitimacy. This may lead consumers to falsely believe these sites are regulated by the Gambling Commission with associated consumer protections. Likewise, sponsorship and advertising in sport is a significant factor in raising consumer awareness of unlicensed operators. A Frontier Economics report produced for the Betting and Gaming Council found that sponsorships were one of the most impactful drivers of market awareness of illegal operators. When consumers were asked how they first became aware of unlicensed operators, 13% noted sponsorships, second only to social media and adverts on social media (22%).

It is difficult to quantify differential harm associated with the illegal market due to the lack of differentiation amongst consumers and the opaque nature of illegal operators. However, whilst the legal market is obliged by law to offer player protections and safer gambling measures, the illegal market is not. As such, by definition, engagement with illegal operators often carries a greater risk of gambling harm.

Ensuring the integrity of the GB gambling market

We also want to ensure that gambling advertisements are only allowed from those which are regulated to provide gambling facilities to consumers in Great Britain. These operators are required to offer player protections and adhere to the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP). They also contribute to the statutory levy which funds treatment and prevention services, and research for gambling-related harms. Licensed operators have reported that advertising of unlicensed and illegal gambling has negatively impacted their businesses. Advertising of unlicensed operators may also encourage consumers to seek out methods to circumvent geoblocks or access other unlicensed sites.

Money-laundering vulnerabilities in sport

The National Risk Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing 2025, published in July 2025, identifies football clubs and football agents as a cross-cutting money laundering risk vulnerable to exploitation by organised crime groups and other malign actors. Vulnerabilities could be exploited by poor application of due diligence on investors, especially where a club is already in financial distress.

Ownership structures using layered front and shell companies, often based overseas or in jurisdictions with low transparency, could obscure the ultimate beneficiaries of clubs and other major stakeholders, such as sponsorship arrangements. Clubs could be used as a vehicle both to launder funds, as well as a final destination for criminal money to be invested. The laundering of suspected proceeds of crime could occur through different routes including player transfers, falsification of ticket sales, falsification of services provided or received by high risk commercial sectors, merchandise sales, and club or player sponsorship deals and image rights.

There are concerns around potential links between money laundering in football and unlicensed gambling operators who sponsor or advertise using football. Links have previously been found between some overseas gambling sponsors and companies involved in crime.

Scope of proposed change

For the reasons given above - consumer protection, fairness to licensed, regulated operators, and to help keep international criminals out of gambling in Great Britain - the government intends to ban anyone, including sports clubs and bodies, from entering into a sponsorship or advertising arrangement with a gambling provider that is not licensed by the Gambling Commission. We intend to bring forward secondary legislation to implement this ban utilising section 328 of the Gambling Act 2005, which provides the Secretary of State with power to make regulations controlling the advertising of gambling, subject to Parliamentary approval.

Continuing to advertise or have a sponsorship deal with an unlicensed sponsor after the ban comes into effect would be a criminal offence. Any person who is involved in any sponsorship or advertising arrangement which amounts to advertising gambling (as defined in section 327 of the Gambling Act 2005) would commit a criminal offence. The maximum penalty for committing the offence is explained in section 328(7). Further, as per section 328(8) of the Gambling Act 2005, anyone who commits the offence by causing an advertisement to be displayed or made accessible, will be treated as committing the offence on each day that occurs.

The government would like to collect information and evidence as part of this consultation process to fully understand the impacts that any ban of unlicensed sponsors and advertising could have. This includes its impact on the financial viability of sports, clubs, leagues, events, and other sectors, and whether a ban would cause any unintended risks. We strongly encourage all impacted stakeholders to provide robust data and evidence related to sponsorship and advertising deals with gambling operators so that we can come to a rounded view.

What is captured

We are proposing to use the powers conferred by the Gambling Act 2005 to control gambling advertising in Great Britain to make it a criminal offence to participate in or facilitate the advertising of gambling (including the advertising of gambling by sponsorship) by unlicensed gambling operators across all sectors of the economy and at all levels, including grassroots. The ban will include all sponsorship and advertising displayed at and associated with sporting and other cultural events such as kit and equipment sponsorships, event paraphernalia such as programmes, ground and field advertising, venue infrastructure, and naming of leagues, events and venues.

We are not aware of any sponsorship or advertising of unlicensed gambling operators at non-sporting events or venues in Great Britain. However, there may be arrangements not known to us, and it is possible that we may see arrangements outside of the sports sector in the future. For example, an unlicensed operator may choose to enter into a sponsorship or advertising deal with a music venue or sponsor cultural events. To prevent this future possibility and support the core objectives set out above, we propose to extend this ban to all sectors, and would welcome views (supported if possible by relevant evidence) from stakeholders on this.

The ban will relate to all sectors, venues, and events within Great Britain. In sport, this means no unlicensed gambling operators will be allowed to advertise via or sponsor any competition, event or league taking place in Great Britain, nor any team, club, or individual when competing or performing in Great Britain, regardless of the origin or usual location of those events or individuals. There are already examples of this in sport. For example, during Formula 1’s Dutch Grand Prix, teams remove all sponsorships with online gambling operators, as there is a blanket ban on these sponsorship deals in The Netherlands.

Types of advertising impacted

We believe the primary issue of unlicensed operators sponsoring sport comes from in-stadium advertising. We are able to make these changes using secondary legislation, which will allow the government to move faster on this issue, including expanding a ban beyond sport.

Although Ofcom is responsible for setting standards in relation to advertisements for gambling broadcast on television or radio, the Gambling Act 2005 requires it to ensure that those standards reflect any requirements which are imposed by Ministers using secondary legislation. We will work with Ofcom, and any other relevant bodies, to ensure they can fulfil this requirement.

Further legislative changes to include online gambling advertising in this ban would require primary legislation. Therefore, this ban, as set out in this document, will not apply to online advertising or sponsorship. We may consider pursuing further action via primary legislation at a later time if there is sufficient evidence to do so. However, at present we do not believe this is the case and want to move as quickly as possible to address the issues that we know do exist.

White labels

We do not anticipate extending this ban to cover gambling operators which are in white label agreements. We are aware that there have been previous issues with white label partners acting in a manner that is not compatible with the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP). However, there are also a number of gambling operators in white label agreements outside of sport sponsorship and advertising which do adhere to the LCCP and have legitimate interests in the British market.

We will work with the Gambling Commission to determine whether any action is required to further ensure that white label agreements are sufficiently monitored and enforcement action taken where needed. We welcome further evidence on white label gambling operators.

Timing

We are aware of the value that sponsorship and advertising deals bring to sport and that many teams’ financial stability depends on obtaining these deals. We want to limit the financial impact on sports by giving sufficient time for replacement deals to be found where necessary. We have outlined two potential options for when and how the ban could come into effect.

1. The ban will come into effect on a fixed date in August 2027, before the start of the 2027/28 football season. All sport sponsorship and advertising of unlicensed operators at sporting events must have ceased before this date.

2. The ban will apply to any new unlicensed operator advertising or sponsorship contracts following the introduction of the legislation. Any pre-existing contracts will be allowed to conclude under their original terms, provided those contracts do not extend beyond the beginning of August 2028.

The government’s preference is to have a fixed start date for the ban, to give clarity to clubs and consumers, and to eliminate a situation where some clubs can partner with unlicensed operators while others cannot. We are aware that there could be negative financial consequences for any clubs having to end contracts early due to this legislation. However, we think there are good reasons to introduce this ban as quickly as practicable, so that we protect consumers, ensure a level regulatory playing field and help protect the gambling market from crime. We also welcome evidence from stakeholders who believe the ban should come into effect under different timelines than set out in the options above.

Impact

Impact on sports

The government expects that this ban could have a negative financial impact on sports teams and clubs which currently have deals with unlicensed operators. We also realise that any impacts are likely to be greater for clubs or sports which have smaller revenues or those which rely on sponsorship and advertising as a more significant percentage of their revenue.

As data on sponsorship and advertising deals is not publicly available, we are not able to robustly set out the size of any impact. However, we estimate that approximately 40% of Premier League clubs had sponsorship or advertising deals with unlicensed gambling operators for the 2025/26 season. Data provided through this consultation will allow the government to estimate the potential financial impact when it considers how the ban should be implemented.

Impact on consumers

We expect this ban to have a positive impact for consumers, particularly those already experiencing or at risk of gambling-related harms. Due to the inherently opaque nature of the illegal market, we are unable to quantify the extent of any gambling-related harms from consumers in Great Britain directly interacting with unlicensed gambling operators which sponsor or advertise via sport. This is because engagement with illegal operators is often supplementary to engagement with the legal market and consumers are not necessarily aware that an operator is illegal.

Additionally, where consumers deliberately engage with illegal sites they often use VPNs which disguise their location and limit available data. We believe that reducing exposure to unlicensed operators by banning advertising and sponsorship in sport could reduce harm by reducing participation in the illegal market. This is because the illegal market does not always offer adequate player protections or safer gambling measures and therefore carries an inherently greater risk of gambling harm.

Next steps

This 8 week consultation will ensure that the government is able to consider the best available evidence in deciding the details of how a ban on unlicensed sponsorship and advertising would apply.

Responses to this consultation will be reviewed before any possible legislation is laid before Parliament. The government plans to formally respond to this consultation to announce our decision later this year.

How to respond

Please respond to this consultation by completing the online response form.

If you cannot access the link, please email responses to gamblingactreview@dcms.gov.uk in a document format like PDF or Microsoft Word.

By submitting your responses via email you are agreeing to the terms outlined in the privacy notice.

We welcome evidence from all parties with an interest in the way that gambling is regulated in Great Britain. We also welcome international evidence.

The consultation will close at 11:59pm on 9 September 2026.

Consultation questions

Respondent type

D1 - Are you responding on behalf of an organisation or as an individual? (Individual / Organisation / Other [please specify])

If individual

D2 - What is your age? (0 to 17 / 18 to 24 / 25 to 44 / 45 to 64 / 75 to 84 / 85+ / Prefer not to say)

D3 - What part of Great Britain do you live in? (England/ Scotland / Wales / Outside of Great Britain (please specify) / Prefer not to say)

D4 - Which of the following best describes your interest in responding to the consultation (Select up to two options)? (Gambling industry professional, Gambling researcher/academic, Gambling treatment provider, Personally harmed by gambling, Personally affected by another person’s gambling, Recreational Gambler, Recreational Sports Fan, Sporting Athlete, Sports industry professional, Government/regulatory professional, Other (please specify), Prefer not to say)

D5 - Is any of the information you have provided confidential, commercially sensitive or otherwise unsuitable for publication (including in anonymised)? If so, please indicate what. (Free text box)

If organisation

D6 - What is the name of your organisation? (Free text box)

D7 - Is the organisation headquartered in Great Britain? (Yes / No / I don’t know)

D8 - Which of the following best represents your organisation’s sector? (Gambling Operator, Gambling trade body, Advertising, Broadcasting, Sport club, Sporting body, Gambling Lived experience peer support charity, Gambling Treatment Provision, Gambling Research/Academia, Government/regulator, Other (please specify), I don’t know)

D9 - How many employees does your organisation have globally? (1-9 / 10-19 / 20-49 / 50- 99 / 100 - 249 / 250 - 499 / 500+ / I don’t know)

D10 - Are you happy for the Government to attribute responses to your organisation in a published response to this consultation? (Yes / No)

D11 - Is any of the information you have provided confidential, commercially sensitive or otherwise unsuitable for publication (including in anonymised)? If so, please indicate what. (Free text box)

General questions

General awareness and rationale

Q1 - In your view, how easy or difficult is it to determine if a gambling operator sponsoring a sport, club, venue, competition or athlete is licensed by the Gambling Commission? (Extremely difficult/ Somewhat difficult/ Neither Easy nor Difficult / Somewhat easy/ Extremely easy/ I do not know)

Q1a - Please explain your answer (Optional Response) (Free Text Box)

Q2 - Before reading this document, were you aware that gambling operators who are not licensed in Great Britain can legally enter into commercial sports sponsorships, provided their websites are geo-blocked? (Yes / No)

Q3 - To what extent do you agree or disagree with the Government’s proposal to ban gambling operators not licensed by the Gambling Commission from entering into certain sponsorship and advertising agreements in all sectors, including sport? (Strongly Agree / Agree / Neither / Disagree / Strongly Disagree / I do not know)

Q3a - Please explain your answer (Optional Response) (Free Text Box)

Impact on consumer harm

Q4 - What impact, if any, do you estimate this proposal would have on the prevalence of gambling-related harm in Great Britain? (Significant Increase / Slight Increase / No Change / Slight Decrease / Significant Decrease / I do not know)

Q4a - Please explain your answer (Optional Response) (Free Text Box)

Q5 - What impact, if any, do you estimate this proposal would have on the severity of gambling-related harm in Great Britain? (Significant Increase / Slight Increase / No Change / Slight Decrease / Significant Decrease / I do not know)

Q5a - Please explain your answer (Optional Response) (Free Text Box)

Impact on sector stakeholders

Q6 - What impact, if any, do you estimate this proposal would have on the financial viability of sectors requiring sponsorship including sports clubs, leagues, tournaments, venues and sporting events within Great Britain? (Significant Positive Impact / Slight Positive Impact / No Impact / Slight Negative Impact / Significant Negative Impact / I do not know)

Q6a - Please explain your answer. If applicable, please provide evidence regarding existing contractual vulnerabilities, particularly concerning lower-league structures (Optional Response) (Free Text Box) (File Upload)

Q7 - What impact, if any, do you estimate this proposal would have on the domestic, regulated gambling sector in Great Britain? (Significant Positive Impact / Slight Positive Impact / No Impact / Slight Negative Impact / Significant Negative Impact / I do not know)

Q7a - Please explain your answer, (Optional Response) (Free Text Box)

Scope and definition of the ban

Q8 - The Government proposes capturing all physical environments in all sectors. In sports this includes kit sponsorships, stadium billboards, programmes, and venue infrastructure. In your view, is this definition of physical advertising assets sufficiently clear? (Yes / No / I do not know)

Q8a - Please explain your answer (Optional Response) (Free Text Box)

Q9 - In your view, should the scope of this ban be extended beyond physical, in-stadium advertising assets to include online and digital advertising platforms? (Yes, it should be extended immediately / Yes, it should be considered in future primary legislation / No, it should remain limited to physical assets / I do not know)

Q9a - Please explain your answer (Optional Response) (Free Text Box)

Implementation and timelines

Q10 - The consultation outlines two implementation pathways. Which of the following options is your preferred timeline for the ban to come into effect?

(Option 1: A fixed start date in August 2027, ahead of the 2027/28 football season, requiring all physical advertising to cease regardless of active contract lengths. / Option 2: A phased timeline applying strictly to new contracts, allowing pre-existing contracts to conclude up to a hard deadline in August 2028. / Alternative Proposal: An alternative timeline is required.)

Q10a - Please explain your answer (Optional Response) (Free Text Box)

Closing views

Q11 - In your view, are there any additional impacts or unintended risks relating to this proposal that the Government should be aware of if this proposal were to be implemented? (Optional Response) (Free Text Box)

Sponsorship questions

General questions

S1 - Do you hold any sponsorship and/or advertising arrangements with gambling operators? (Yes / No / I do not know)

S2 - How many individual sponsorship and/or advertising arrangements do you hold with gambling operators? (Free Text Box)

Sponsorship information

S3 - Please provide information on the sponsorship or advertising arrangements that your organisation has with gambling operators.

S3a - The name of the sponsor organisation (Free Text Box)

S3b - Is this Gambling Operator licensed by the Gambling Commission? (Yes / Yes as part of a white label agreement / No / I don’t know)

S3c - Which categories best describe the nature of this sponsorship/advertising arrangement? (Kit Sponsorship / Commercial Partnership / Venue Sponsorship/ Event Sponsorship/ Other (Please specify))

S3d - The length of time (in months) of this sponsorship deal/advertising arrangement (Free Text Box)

S3e - What is the approximate total value of the sponsorship (in £)? (Free Text Box)

S4 - Do you hold any additional sponsorship and/or advertising arrangements with gambling operators? (Yes / No/ I don’t know)

Associated costs of a ban

S5 - Please estimate what percentage (%) of your/your organisation’s annual revenue comes from sponsorship/and or advertising arrangements from the following sources:

S5a - Licensed gambling operators (Free Text Box)

S5b - Unlicensed gambling operators (Free Text Box)

S5c - Other entities (Free Text Box)

S6 - If the proposed ban were to be implemented, do you anticipate incurring any costs due to the termination of existing contracts? (Yes / No / I don’t know)

S7 - If applicable, what do you estimate to be the total financial cost to your organisation arising from a sponsorship/advertising ban of unlicensed gambling operators? (£0 / £1 - £9,999 / £10,000 - £49,999 / £50,000 - £99,999 / £100,000 - £499,999 / £500,000 - £999,999 / £1,000,000 - £1,999,999 / £2,000,000 + Don’t know)

S7b - Please explain your answer (Optional Response) (Free Text Box)

Closing views

S8 - Are there any factors or points you wish to highlight that have not been considered above? (Optional Response) (Free Text Box)

S9 - Please upload any supporting evidence that you wish to share (Optional Response) (File Upload)

Equality statement

C1 - The Department for Culture, Media and Sport will have due regard to the public sector equality duty, including considering the impact of these proposals on those who share protected characteristics, as provided by the Equality Act 2010. These are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. Please indicate if you believe any of the proposals in this Consultation are likely to impact persons who share such protected characteristics and, if so, please explain which group(s) of persons, what the impact on any such group might be and if you have any views. (Free Text Box)

Privacy notice

Who is collecting my data?

The Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS). DCMS is consulting on banning unlicensed gambling operators from advertising with or sponsoring sport in Great Britain. For the purposes of personal data collected in the course of this consultation, DCMS is the data controller.

Purposes of this Privacy Notice

This notice is provided to meet the obligations as set out in Articles 13 and 14 of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (“UK GDPR”) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (“the DPA”). This notice sets out how DCMS will use your personal data as part of our legal obligations with regard to Data Protection.

What personal data do we collect?

The personal information we collect and process is the data provided to us directly by you in the responses to this consultation. As an individual, this may include your gender, age bracket and region of residence. As an organisation, this includes: your organisation name and size. All questions requesting an individual’s personal information offer a ‘prefer not to say’ option.

How will we use your data?

We will use your data to enable us to carry out our functions as a government department. Your data will be used to inform the development of policy measures relating to unlicensed sponsorship and advertising of sport.

What is the legal basis for processing my data?

To process this personal data, our legal reason for collecting or processing this data is:

• Article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR: to the extent it is necessary to perform a public task (to carry out a public function or exercise powers set out in law, or to perform a specific task in the public interest that is set out in law). In this case, the processing of your personal data is necessary for the performance of a task in the public interest, as the information gathered helps inform future policies; and
• Section 8(d) of the DPA: to the extent it is necessary for the effective performance of a task carried out in the public interest.

What will happen if I do not provide this data?

You have the option to select ‘Prefer not to say’ in response to any of the questions that ask for your personal data.

Who will your data be shared with?

DCMS has commissioned a third party, Qualtrics, to collect your personal data on its behalf. This means we have asked Qualtrics to collect your information via an online survey platform, which we will review as part of the consultation process.

Information provided in response to this consultation (not including personal information) may be shared with other government departments and arm’s length bodies, such as the Gambling Commission. The information provided may be published at an aggregated or anonymised level in the government’s consultation response, or disclosed in accordance with the access to information regimes (primarily under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004) subject to any applicable exemptions.

Please indicate if any information you provide is commercially or otherwise sensitive.

How long will my data be held for?

Your personal data will be kept for one year in line with DCMS retention policy.

Will my data be used for automated decision making or be processed by artificial intelligence (AI)?

DCMS may use AI to understand the emerging themes and evidence from the survey results but there is no automated decision making involved in the use of this model. Any outputs generated by AI are carefully reviewed by our researchers to ensure accuracy and eliminate any potential biases.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is an umbrella term for a range of technologies and approaches that often attempt to mimic human thought to solve complex tasks. Our use of AI is governed by policies and procedures that address data security, privacy, and responsible AI usage.

Will my data be used for automated decision making or profiling?

We will not use your data for any automated decision making.

Will my data be transferred outside the UK and if it is how will it be protected?

Your data will not be transferred outside the UK.

What are my data protection rights?

You have rights over your personal data under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the supervisory authority for data protection legislation, and maintains a full explanation of these rights on their website. DCMS will ensure that we uphold your rights when processing your personal data.

How do I complain?

The contact details for the data controller’s Data Protection Officer (DPO) are:

Data Protection Officer
The Department for Culture, Media & Sport
100 Parliament Street
London
SW1A 2BQ

Email: dpo@dcms.gov.uk

If you’re unhappy with the way we have handled your personal data and want to make a complaint, please write to the department’s Data Protection Officer using the details above.

How to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office:

If you believe that your personal data has been misused or mishandled, you may make a complaint to the Information Commissioner, who is an independent regulator. You may also contact them to seek independent advice about data protection, privacy and data sharing.

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Website: www.ico.org.uk

Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Email: casework@ico.org.uk

Any complaint to the Information Commissioner is without prejudice to your right to seek redress through the courts.

Changes to our privacy notice

We may make changes to this privacy policy. In that case, the ‘last updated’ date at the bottom of this page will also change. Any changes to this privacy policy will apply to you and your data immediately. If these changes affect how your personal data is processed, DCMS will take reasonable steps to let you know.

1. Gambling regulation in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter governed primarily by the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order 1985. The Gambling Act 2005 and the regulatory remit of the Gambling Commission extend strictly to Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland). ↩