Gambling Commission Finally Names Ruth Evans as Chair

After the best part of two years without anyone in the seat full-time, the Gambling Commission finally has a permanent Chair. Ruth Evans, a veteran of consumer-protection and anti-fraud work, takes over from interim Chair Charles Counsell later this month, closing one of three senior vacancies that have left the regulator’s top table looking distinctly bare.

What’s been released

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport confirmed the appointment on 7 September, with
Evans, appointed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), becoming the Commission’s first permanent Chair in nearly two years
. She takes over from Charles Counsell, who had been
serving in the role of Chair on an interim basis following the departure of Marcus Boyle back in January 2025
. Evans
will join on 30 September for a five-year term
.

The appointment ticks off one of several outstanding senior roles at the regulator. As one report noted,
before this appointment the Commission had no permanent Chair, Chief Executive Officer or Executive Director
. Evans is best known for her work outside gambling specifically: she is
chair of Stop Scams UK, an initiative she founded in 2019 to unite banks, technology companies and telecom providers to combat payment fraud
. Her CV also stretches across
chairing the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), the Bar Standards Board, and acting as a lay member of the General Medical Council
.

What’s changed

For UK players, the immediate practical impact is limited, but the appointment does put a permanent hand back on the tiller at a moment when the regulator’s rulebook is under active review. Evans herself struck a collaborative note, saying she has seen that
the best outcomes are achieved through effective collaboration between regulators, industry and the technology sector
, and that she looks forward to
working with the Commission to encourage online safety for UK citizens, strengthen consumer protections and support
a stable market. DCMS Secretary of State Lisa Nandy framed the timing as significant, saying Evans
becomes Chair at this incredibly important time, supporting a sustainable, thriving industry with the essential protections needed to prevent harm
.

The role is not a full-time post: Chairs of the Commission are
remunerated at a rate of £85,000 per annum in exchange for a time commitment of two days per week
. Nandy also thanked her predecessor, noting Counsell had been
a passionate and diligent chair, and we owe him our gratitude
.

Where it fits

The leadership gap has been a running theme in UK gambling coverage for the best part of two years, following the departures of Marcus Boyle as Chair, Andrew Rhodes as CEO and Tim Miller as Executive Director in short order. With policy conversations already underway about the future of the ‘aim to permit’ licensing approach that underpins how new products reach the market, having a settled Chair in place matters for anyone tracking how quickly future rule changes, product reviews or licensing decisions move through the system. Evans’s background is firmly in consumer protection and fraud prevention rather than product or slots policy, so her early priorities are likely to sit closer to online safety and player protection than to game design or feature approvals. For UK casino brands and studios, the practical read is one of stability returning to the regulator’s top table rather than any immediate shift in what games or features can reach players.

Sources

• SBC News – Gambling Commission’s 20 month wait for a permanent Chair ends as it hires Ruth Evans
• iGaming Business – Gambling Commission names fraud specialist as new full-time chair
• NEXT.io – Gambling Commission appoints Ruth Evans as Chair
• GOV.UK – Ruth Evans appointed as Chair of the Gambling Commission
• FOCUS Gaming News – Ruth Evans named British Gambling Commission chair