The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) begins a new leadership era by welcoming Grainne Hurst as the CEO of the trade and standards body of UK gambling.
Announced in April, Hurst succeeds Michael Dugher as CEO, who, as part of a leadership restructure, chose to take on the role of Chairman.
The BGC describes Hurst as a ‘standout leader’ for UK gambling, possessing unparalleled experience and knowledge in the public affairs and political complexities of the industry.
Prior to the appointment, Hurst served as the Group Corporate Affairs Director of the FTSE100 gambling group Entain Plc. During her decade-long tenure, Hurst launched and oversaw the development of the Entain Foundation, a multi-million-pound sustainability initiative of the FTSE business, which is committed to raising £100m for ESG initiatives in the UK, Europe, North America, and Africa.
Additionally, Hurst led the expansion of the industry DEI organisation Global Gaming Women, where she is a board member. She currently oversees the charity’s expansion into the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
Hurst joins the BGC as the UK government and Gambling Commission begin the technical application of new online checks and safeguards to protect UK customers.
As CEO, Hurst stated the BGC’s commitment to delivering on the White Paper objectives to ensure UK gambling moves into an “era of stability and growth, with a renewed focus on improving diversity.”
“I’m absolutely delighted to get started as CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council, the industry champion for so many iconic brands, both in the UK and around the world.
“This is a crucial time for the BGC’s diverse and growing membership, which supports 110,000 jobs and caters to millions of customers who enjoy a bet each month in the UK.
“There is a huge amount of work ahead of us, not least delivering and implementing the outstanding proposals outlined in last year’s White Paper, many of which our members called for.”
The government is yet to settle on the key White Paper initiatives, including the structure of the statutory levy on the research, education, and treatment of problem gambling, and the terms of an Ombudsman for consumer redress – both initiatives are fully supported by BGC members.
“While achieving regulatory certainty after a period of so much change is top of my priority list, it is important for our industry to focus on stability, growth, and diversity across the sector. That work must be underpinned by strong data and guided throughout by the voice of the everyday consumer.
“This includes a statutory levy to address problem gambling and related harms, an Ombudsman for improved consumer redress, online financial risk checks carefully targeted at those at risk, new stake limits for online slots, a Sports Sponsorship Code, plus mission-critical modernisation proposals for the land-based casino sector.”
Hurst thanked her predecessors, Michael Dugher and former chair Brigid Simmonds, for establishing the foundations of a unified trade body for UK gambling, of which BGC members can be proud, “supporting 110,000 jobs, contributing £7.1 billion to the economy, and generating £4.2 billion in tax revenue.”
Chairman Michael Dugher outlined his support for Hurst’s leadership objectives to prioritise regulatory certainty and industry stability for members, whilst ensuring that the sector is overseen by a data-driven approach to protect consumer interests.
Dugher added: “On behalf of the entire BGC membership, I’d like to warmly welcome Grainne as she officially starts as CEO.
“She brings years of experience and knowledge in the regulated industry, together with a bold vision and strategy to refresh and reset the organisation going forward.
“I look forward to working with Grainne in my new role as Chair, and with the rest of the outstanding BGC team, as we continue to represent thousands of workers and millions of customers, as well as delivering on our mission to raise standards in safer gambling