Event announcement - Reputation Matters returns

Reputation Matters: UK Gambling’s Future At Stake

Tuesday 2 November 2021

Ironmongers’ Hall, City of London

The Gambling Act Review comes at a vital time for the UK’s gambling sector. The pressures on the sector have been all too evident in the past few years and debate continues to rage over the proportionality of regulation of everything from affordability measures through to spending caps and the applicability of public health concepts.

In the short term, the sector will soon discover its fate when the government unveils its full proposals. But that is unlikely to end the pressures the sector faces as it faces an opposition that will almost certainly continue to place pressure on the sector to justify its existence.

To help frame the debate, Clear Concise Media has put together a half-day of conference on the afternoon of Tuesday 2 November at the Ironmongers’ Hall in the City of London.

The day consists of a series of keynote speeches and expert panels featuring a host of expert commentators and industry figures there to discuss key aspects of the debate over the UK industry’s future.

For tickets visit the EventBrite page.

Line-up

Keynote – John O’Reilly, chief executive at Rank Group

Panel session 1: Now and forever: surviving the UK Gambling Act Review

The government has pitched the Gambling Act Review as providing a regulatory structure for the modern age. The latest rumours suggest the more wide-ranging proposals that have been talked about are likely to be excluded but there remain questions over the affordability issue and the sector’s relationship with the public health proponents. This panel will discuss what the experts think is upcoming and what should be the sector’s response to the continued pressures from both with and outside parliament.

·      Ian Ince, chief compliance officer, Playtech

·      Oliver Rowe, director, reputation and business research, YouGov

·      Adam Brickell, director of public affairs, UK & Ireland, Entertainment

·      Camilla Wright, partner, Red Knot Communications (founder of Popbitch)

·      Hayley Jane Smith, head of safer gambling standards, GamCare

·      Moderator: Dan Waugh, partner, Regulus

Panel session 2: Forever at odds? The industry and the regulator

Many believe the UK’s Gambling Commission and the industry it oversees are dangerously misaligned. With new leadership at the Commission, the hope is that the rhetoric may be toned down particularly once the review is out of the way. But what can the industry do to ensure that the body which holds it to account is fit for purpose?

·      Stephen Ketteley, partner, Wiggin

·      Kirsty Caldwell, founder, BetSmart Consulting

·      James Harrison, partner, Partis

·      Richard Bayliss, senior regulatory affairs manager, Playtech

·      Moderator: Kelly Kehn, co-founder, All-In Diversity

Panel session 3: Negotiating a minefield: gambling and sustainability

The precepts of ESG investing are now a central area of interest for any sector and gambling is no different. For shareholders and stakeholders, doing the right thing in a corporate sense is now more important than ever so what does it mean for the sector when it comes to societal and governance aspects. Moreover, in a world ever more dominated by passive investment, sectors can ill afford to sit outside the fiduciary frameworks that envelop institutional investment.

·      Sue Albion, group director of regulatory, Flutter Entertainment

·      Lawrence Gosling, editorial director, ESG Clarity

·      Gavin Kelleher, gaming analyst, Goodbody

·      Moderator: Kelly Perry, head of ESG client solutions, Edison Group

 

Previous Reputation Matters conference:

Clear Concise Media held a well-regarded event in November 2019 which featured a keynote speech from Kenny Alexander and a number of specialist panellists. The event was held at Soho Hotel and attracted a crowd of over 100 paying attendees.