The Betting and Gaming Council has appointed Grainne Hurst as the standards body’s new chief executive officer, as of today, September 9.
Hurst joins from Entain where she has worked for almost 10 years, including as the firm’s Group Corporate Affairs Director.
“I’m absolutely delighted to get started as CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council, the industry champion for so many iconic brands, at home in the UK and around the world,” said Hurst.
“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.
“That includes a statutory levy to address problem gambling and related harms, an Ombudsman for improved consumer redress, online financial risk checks carefully targeted on those at risk, new stake limits for online slots, a Sports Sponsorship Code, plus mission critical modernisation proposals for the land-based casino sector.
“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.
“My huge thanks go to Michael Dugher for his amazing work so far getting the BGC to where it is today, I’m really looking forward to working alongside Michael in his new role as BGC chair.”
