Birmingham to host new Gambling Commission

Monday, 24 January 2005 12:00 AM

Birmingham has been earmarked as the host city for the proposed new Gambling Commission.

The provisions for a new regulatory body for gambling are contained in the controversial Gambling Bill, which is receiving its third reading in the House of Commons this week.

If the legislation is passed, the Gambling Commission would be established to regulate gaming, betting and certain lotteries. It would have a broader function and greater enforcement powers that the existing Gaming Board.

The location of Birmingham, rather than London or the South East, is part of the Government's plans to move civil servants out into the regions.

The final venue within Birmingham has not yet been decided. The Gaming Board will now invite competitive tenders for the project, to find suitable premises and kit them out.

Speaking before Christmas when the decision to locate the new regulator outside the South East was first announced, Peter Dean, chairman of the Gaming Board, said: "The Board recognises that the Government has wider policy reasons for deciding that the Gambling Commission should be located outside London and the South East.

"Now that the decision has been made, we will work wholeheartedly with DCMS to get the Commission up and running in a suitable location at the earliest possible date consistent with maintaining effective regulation and avoiding any hiatus between the old and new regimes."

The Gaming Board is currently located in central London. It is not yet known what arrangements will be in place for existing employees when the regulator relocates. But previous practise suggests that generous relocation packages will be on offer.

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