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 14/01/2021

For information on how we process your personal information please see our freedom of information request specific 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

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.

Dear Sir/Madam

Thank you for your request which has been processed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).

In your email you have requested the number of women who partake in online gambling over the past five years (up until December 2020)?

The Gambling Commission publish figures relating to the percentage of women who participate in online gambling on our quarterly telephone survey publication.

These findings are official statistics based on a set of questions commissioned by the Gambling Commission in a standalone telephone survey. Data collection took place in December 2019, March 2020, June 2020 and September 2020. These questions ask respondents about their gambling participation in the past four weeks.

Section 21 of the FOIA provides that information is exempt where it is reasonably accessible elsewhere. The most recent publication was October 2020 which can be viewed here:

http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/Doc...

Tab 1 shows the proportion of females that have gambled online over the past 5 years.

Finally, the year to December 2020 data you have requested is not yet available. This will be published during February 2021.

Section 22(1) of the FOIA (“information that is intended to be published in the future”) provides that information is exempt if:

a)the information is held by the public authority with a view to its publication, by the authority or any other person, at some future date (whether determined or not),
b)the information was already held with a view to such publication at the time when the request for information was made,

This is a qualified exemption, therefore, the Commission must consider whether the public interest in maintaining the exemption is greater than the public interest in disclosing the requested information. These arguments are as follows:

Arguments in favour of disclosure

•there is a legitimate public interest in promoting the accountability and transparency of public authorities
•there is a public interest in Government Departments providing information they hold that falls within the scope of an FOI request as quickly as possible.

Arguments in favour of maintaining the exemption

•Providing this information in response to a FOI request is not the most time/cost effective way of placing this information in the public domain, when it will be published in due course on the Gambling Commission website.
•The Commission maintains an effective publication schedule where this information will be made available in due course.

Weighing the balance

Having considered the above factors, the Commission is of the view that the balance of the public interest lies in maintaining the exemption. Whilst we recognise that there is a public interest in promoting the transparency and accountability of public authorities in a timely manner, there is no outstanding public interest in releasing this information prior to its intended publication. Given the necessary preparation and administration involved in publishing the information, we consider that our publication timetable is reasonable.

Review of the decision

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your Freedom of Information request and wish us to conduct a review of our decision, you should write to FOI Team, Gambling Commission, 4th floor, Victoria Square House, Victoria Square, Birmingham, B2 4BP or by reply to this email.

If you are not content with the outcome of our review, you may then apply directly to the Information Commissioner (ICO) for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have already exhausted the review procedure provided by the Gambling Commission. The ICO can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

Kind regards

Freedom of Information Team
Gambling Commission
Victoria Square House
Victoria Square
Birmingham B2 4BP

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.