UK Gambling Commission Loses Second Senior Leader in Five Months

⏱ 3 min read

The UK Gambling Commission has lost a second senior leader in five months. Tim Miller, the regulator's executive director for policy and research, confirmed on 29 June 2026 that he will leave in September 2026 after a decade in the role, following former chief executive Andrew Rhodes's departure on 30 April 2026.

Miller led the Commission's evidence base for a decade, building the Gambling Survey for Great Britain and helping implement the Gambling Act Review White Paper. His exit leaves the regulator with two of its most senior posts held on an interim basis while the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) continues its search for a permanent chair, with interviews expected to conclude by mid-July.

What Happened

Miller announced his exit on LinkedIn, calling the Commission "the most enjoyable and fulfilling part of my career" but saying ten years "felt like the right point to take on a new challenge." He will stay in post until September 2026, after which he plans to work internationally advising governments and regulators on market oversight. The Commission confirmed the news in a short statement, with acting chief executive Sarah Gardner thanking him for "outstanding service."

The Commission has not named who will cover Miller's responsibilities, saying only that arrangements will be "set out in due course."

Miller's Decade at the Commission

Miller joined in 2016 under then-CEO Sarah Harrison and became one of the regulator's most visible policy figures. His portfolio included:

• Creating and launching the Gambling Survey for Great Britain, the largest study of its kind
• Overseeing reforms to age verification, financial vulnerability checks and remote game design under the Gambling Act Review
• Building GamProtect, a cross-operator data-sharing tool to flag at-risk customers
• Publicly pressing platforms including Meta over inaction on black-market gambling ads

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A Regulator Run on Interim Leadership

Miller's departure compounds an already thin senior bench. Rhodes left in April for Hawkbridge, a new gambling advisory firm, a move that drew scrutiny over potential conflicts of interest. Gardner has run the Commission on an acting basis since then, and the chair's seat — vacated by Marcus Boyle in January 2025 — remains filled on an interim basis by Charles Counsell.

Role	Status	Since / Until
Chief Executive	Acting (Sarah Gardner)	Since 30 April 2026
Chair	Interim (Charles Counsell)	Permanent hire expected by late summer 2026
Executive Director, Policy & Research	Tim Miller departing	Leaves September 2026

What This Means for Operators

The turnover lands mid-implementation of the White Paper reforms. Operators are still absorbing the rise in Remote Gaming Duty to 40% from April 2026, while the most contested measure — Financial Risk Assessments (affordability checks) — remains unresolved and opposed by both bookmakers and horseracing stakeholders. The Commission is simultaneously scaling up enforcement against illegal gambling alongside DCMS's Illegal Gambling Taskforce, work that will now proceed without the policy chief who helped shape it.

For licensed operators, the immediate risk isn't a change in rules — it's continuity. Consultation responses, FRA guidance and enforcement priorities may see delays or shifts in emphasis as new leadership beds in.

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What's Next

DCMS's search for a permanent chair — a four-year, £59,000-a-year role based at the Commission's Birmingham headquarters — closed to applications on 1 May 2026, with interviews expected to wrap by mid-July. A confirmed chair would be the first of the three vacant senior posts to be permanently filled. Miller's own successor, and coverage for his portfolio after September, have yet to be announced.

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Sources

This article draws on the Gambling Commission's own statements alongside independent industry reporting.

The Commission has been the most enjoyable and fulfilling part of my career so far. But for me, ten years always felt like the right point to take on a new challenge.

— Tim Miller, Outgoing Executive Director of Policy & Research, UK Gambling Commission · LinkedIn, 29 June 2026