Seeking data on complaints, refunds, and contributions
Dear Gambling Commission,
I am seeking the following specific information:
The total number of complaints received from the public about gambling operators in the last 5 years.
The number of these complaints that were resolved in favour of the public.
The number of complaints specifically related to breaches of the Social Responsibility Code (LCCP) by operators.
Of these complaints, how many were resolved in favour of the public?
Information on whether you have received any inquiries or reports regarding requests for problem gambling refunds.
If yes, please provide details on the number of such inquiries or reports and information on how these were responded to.
Cases where the Gambling Commission is aware of instances where a gambling business has issued a refund to a problem gambler without the direction or instruction of a court or the Gambling Commission itself.
Please provide information on the number of such cases and any relevant details that can be disclosed.
The total amount of money transferred in each of the last five years by the top 10 UK betting companies, ranked by revenue, to organizations working with gambling-related harm.
Please provide a year-by-year breakdown of these contributions.
Yours faithfully,
Fred Blackswan
Thank you for contacting the Gambling Commission.
This inbox is for requests for recorded information held by the Commission
under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or enquiries regarding your own
personal data under the Data protection Act 2018.
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Kind regards
Information Management Team
Gambling Commission
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Freedom of Information requests can be submitted either by email ([email
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Square House Victoria Square Birmingham B2 4BP Please clearly state that
your request is under the Freedom of Information Act.
Case: 202300115
Dear Sir/Madam
Thank you for your request for information which we are processing as a
request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
We aim to deal with all requests promptly and in any event, no later than
20 working days in line with the statutory requirement. In this case 8
January 2024.
For information on how we process your personal information please see our
freedom of information request specific [1]privacy notice on the Gambling
Commission website.
If you have any queries about this email, please contact us.
Kind regards
Freedom of Information Team
Gambling Commission
Victoria Square House
Victoria Square
Birmingham B2 4BP
References
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1. https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/ab...
Case: 202300115
Dear Mr Blackswan
Please see the attached response to your request under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.
Information Management Team
Gambling Commission
Victoria Square House
Victoria Square
Birmingham B2 4BP
Dear Gambling Commission,
Thank you for your response to my request. I appreciate the constraints imposed by the Section 12 and I am willing to refine my request to fit it.
To assist in narrowing down the scope, I would like to prioritize the items in my original request. Please provide guidance on which of these can be supplied within the allocated hours:
1. Information on complaints related to breaches of the Social Responsibility Code (LCCP) by operators, and the resolution of these complaints in favour of the public.
2. Details on inquiries or reports regarding requests for problem gambling refunds, and cases where gambling businesses issued refunds to problem gamblers without direction from a court or the Gambling Commission.
3. The total number of complaints received from the public about gambling operators in the last five years, and the number of these resolved in favour of the public.
4. Year-by-year breakdown of money transferred by the top 10 UK betting companies to organizations working with gambling-related harm in the last five years.
I understand that some of these requests may still be too broad. Could you please advise on how I might further refine these to comply with the time and cost limitations? Your guidance in this regard would be greatly appreciated.
Yours faithfully,
Fred Blackswan
Case: 202300130
Dear Sir/Madam
Thank you for your request for information which we are processing as a
request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
We aim to deal with all requests promptly and in any event, no later than
20 working days in line with the statutory requirement. In this case 25
January 2024.
For information on how we process your personal information please see our
freedom of information request specific [1]privacy notice on the Gambling
Commission website.
If you have any queries about this email, please contact us.
Kind regards
Freedom of Information Team
Gambling Commission
Victoria Square House
Victoria Square
Birmingham B2 4BP
References
Visible links
1. https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/ab...
Case: 202300130
Dear Mr Blackswan
Please see the attached response to your request under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.
Information Management Team
Gambling Commission
Victoria Square House
Victoria Square
Birmingham B2 4BP
Dear Gambling Commission,
I am writing to submit a revised request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I understand from your previous response that my initial request was too broad and the information is not centrally located, making it difficult to retrieve within the resource constraints outlined in Section 12 of the FOIA.
To facilitate a more manageable retrieval process, I have refined my request as follows:
Complaints Summary:
Instead of details on all complaints related to breaches of the Social Responsibility Code (LCCP) by operators, could you provide a summary report of the total number of complaints received in the last three years? If possible, please include a general categorization of the nature of these complaints (e.g., self-exclusion failures, misleading advertising).
Problem Gambling Refunds:
Rather than detailed case information, could you provide aggregate data on the number of requests for problem gambling refunds received, and the number of refunds issued by gambling businesses without direction from a court or the Gambling Commission, for the last three years?
Additionally, I seek insight into the collaborative efforts between the GC and the ICO concerning the provision of complete betting behavior and affordability checks information by gambling operators to data subjects. This is particularly pertinent in situations where adherence to the Social Responsibility Code (LCCP) by operators may be in question.
Specifically, I am interested in:
The nature and extent of the support or guidance provided by the Commission to facilitate or ensure that gambling operators supply comprehensive betting behavior information to data subjects.
The role of the Commission in reinforcing the adherence to social responsibility guidelines as outlined in the LCCP, especially in instances where gambling operators may fall short of these obligations.
Thank you for considering this revised request. I look forward to your response.
Yours faithfully,
Fred Parazi
Case: 202300154
Dear Sir/Madam
Thank you for your request for information which we are processing as a
request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
We aim to deal with all requests promptly and in any event, no later than
20 working days in line with the statutory requirement. In this case 4
March 2024.
For information on how we process your personal information please see our
freedom of information request specific [1]privacy notice on the Gambling
Commission website.
If you have any queries about this email, please contact us.
Kind regards
Freedom of Information Team
Gambling Commission
Victoria Square House
Victoria Square
Birmingham B2 4BP
References
Visible links
1. https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/ab...
Case: 202300154
Dear Mr Parazi
Please see the attached response to your request under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.
Information Management Team
Gambling Commission
Victoria Square House
Victoria Square
Birmingham B2 4BP
Dear Gambling Commission,
Thank you for your response to my initial request. I understand the challenges associated with retrieving the data within the constraints of the Section 12 cost limit. To facilitate a more manageable search that remains within the estimated cost and time limits, I would like to refine my request as follows:
Number of Complaints: Please provide only the total number of complaints received in the last year, rather than the last three years. This should reduce the volume of records to be reviewed.
Problem Gambling Refunds: Rather than a detailed review of all records, could you provide an aggregate summary of the total number of requests for problem gambling refunds and the number of refunds issued by gambling businesses without a direction from a court or the Gambling Commission for the last year only?
Collaborative Work with the ICO: As detailed responses seem to be out of the scope due to the nature of the data collection, I withdraw this part of my request.
I hope these adjustments will allow the request to be processed within the appropriate limit. If further refinement is necessary, please advise on which parts of the request can be fulfilled within the 18-hour work limit, or suggest other ways I might modify the inquiry to comply with Section 12 of the FOIA.
Thank you for your guidance and assistance. I look forward to your response.
Best regards,
Fred Parazi (i'm original requestor to this thread)
Thank you for contacting the Gambling Commission.
This inbox is for requests for recorded information held by the Commission
under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or enquiries regarding your own
personal data under the Data protection Act 2018.
Requests of this nature will receive an acknowledgement within 2 working
days with details of when you can expect a response to your enquiry.
If your email relates to matters outside of this remit, your message will
be passed to our Contact Centre for a response.
You may be able to find an answer to common queries on our Frequently
Asked Questions page. Alternatively, please check our publication scheme
as the information you are looking for may be already published.
If you would like to speak with someone for advice, you can call the
Contact Centre on 0121 230 6666 (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
from 10am to 4pm and Tuesday from 11am to 4pm).
Kind regards
Information Management Team
Gambling Commission
This email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the
use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have
received this email in error please return it to the address it came from
indicating that you are not the intended recipient and delete it from your
system. Do not copy, distribute or take action based on this email.
Freedom of Information requests can be submitted either by email
([email address]) or by writing to: FOI request Gambling
Commission Victoria Square House Victoria Square Birmingham B2 4BP Please
clearly state that your request is under the Freedom of Information Act.
Case: 202400041
Dear Sir/Madam
Thank you for your request for information which we are processing as a
request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
We aim to deal with all requests promptly and in any event, no later than
20 working days in line with the statutory requirement. In this case 1
July 2024.
For information on how we process your personal information please see our
freedom of information request specific [1]privacy notice on the Gambling
Commission website.
If you have any queries about this email, please contact us.
Kind regards
Freedom of Information Team
Gambling Commission
Victoria Square House
Victoria Square
Birmingham B2 4BP
References
Visible links
1. https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/ab...
Case: 202400041
Dear Mr Parazi
Please see the attached response to your request under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.
Information Management Team
Gambling Commission
Victoria Square House
Victoria Square
Birmingham B2 4BP
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