Grainne Hurst – the gambling industry's considered voice
Grainne Hurst is the current CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the standards body that represents the UK’s regulated betting and gaming sector. Appointed in September 2024, her role includes leading efforts to raise industry standards, promoting safer gambling and supporting the viability of the industry. And right now, there are some stiff challenges.
What is the BGC?
The BGC is the main UK gambling industry lobby group. It represents the vast majority of gambling operators in the country. Its members span various areas of the industry, including betting shops, online platforms, bingo providers, and both physical and remote casino operators.
Established in 2019, the BGC is the result of a merger of trade bodies seeking to form a unified industry voice. It was initially led by former MP, Michael Dugher, who largely shaped the organisation in its formative years until Grainne Hurst took the reins in 2024.
The BGC’s mission is to “champion the betting and gaming industry and set world class standards to ensure an enjoyable, fair and safe betting and gaming experience for all our customers.”
Based in Buckinghamshire and London, the BGC maintains close relationships with other industry organisations, especially the Gambling Commission (UKGC), and now represents around 90% of gambling operators in Britain.
Who is Grainne Hurst?
One of Hurst’s clear strengths is her broad experience. Before joining the BGC, her different roles spanned politics and iGaming.
Hurst’s first role in the gambling industry was at Ladbrokes Coral as Head of Public Affairs from 2015 to 2018. This was followed by a stint as Group Director of Corporate Affairs at Entain, until 2024 when she took her current position at the BGC.
Much of Hurst’s work, within and beyond the gambling industry, has been focused on progressing the position of women. One of her first successes was the Return Ships programme, which helps workers to return to work, especially mothers after maternity leave. She also sits on the board of Global Gaming Women.
A passionate industry advocate
An overarching part of Hurst’s role is to advocate for the gambling industry as a whole. To this end, she regularly highlights data showing its economic contribution, cultural relevance, and the relatively low rates of problem gambling. Hurst has also emphasised the role of the industry in supporting jobs, funding sports such as horseracing, and driving investment across the UK.
Hurst’s industry insights are enlightening, intelligent and balanced. She has positioned herself as a confident and articulate voice for BGC members, combining her political experience with industry knowledge.
Hurst has defended the industry on numerous occasions, especially against unfounded and unbalanced media attacks. Her arguments offer balance, recognising risks while defending the majority of consumers who gamble safely.
In this period of regulatory change, policymakers would benefit from taking Hurst seriously, and giving more consideration to her warnings and calls for sensible, balanced, evidence-based regulation that protects consumers as well as the industry.
Current challenges
Since the 2023 White Paper’s publication, the gambling industry has been going through a turbulent period. At the moment, Grainne Hurst and the BGC are facing a number of era-defining challenges.
Illegal gambling
Both regulators and operators are tense about the possibility of illegal gambling taking an even bigger bite out of the regulated market, as we’ve seen happen in many other jurisdictions around the world. Increases in illegal gambling could lead to huge numbers of job losses and a significant reduction in revenue for both regulated operators and HMRC.
As regulations are tightened by the Gambling Commission, the black market becomes more appealing to players. While the situation in the UK isn’t currently as bad as in Germany or the Netherlands, things could certainly go that way.
Even before Hurst joined the organisation, the BGC pushed back against the UKGC’s recent heavy-handedness. Hurst has continued this approach and described the black market as “the single biggest threat facing our industry”. She has condemned overregulation and called for balanced, evidence-based regulation alongside stronger enforcement to keep players within the regulated market.
Rising taxes
The November 2025 Budget included a sharp rise in taxes for gambling operators, which has drawn strong criticism from some of the BGC’s most influential members. This comes despite Hurst’s warning that a hike in gambling taxes “would neither protect consumers nor boost the public purse”.
Remote Gaming Duty (online slots and casinos) rises from 21% to 40% in April 2026.
Remote Betting Duty (online sports betting) will go from 15% to 25% in April 2027.
Hurst called the tax raid a “devastating hammer blow to tens of thousands of people working in the industry across the UK, and millions of customers who enjoy a bet.” She also called the move a “massive win for the incredibly harmful, unsafe, unregulated gambling black market, which pays no tax and offers none of the protections that exist in the regulated sector.”
BGC members will surely support Hurst’s strong stance against the raid, and approve of the connection being made between the destabilisation of the legal market and the rise of the black market.
Hurst and the BGC’s position is that taxation must be carefully calibrated to avoid damaging the legal market, but it’s hard to imagine the Government backpedalling on this move.
Potential job losses
The BGC’s responsibilities are to its members, and their many employees. Hurst has frequently highlighted not just the economic value of the gambling market generally, but the “109,000 jobs” it provides.
BGC member Betfred warned that tax rises could result in the closure of its 1,300 betting shops, risking 7,000 jobs. Similarly, Entain (Ladbrokes, Coral, BetMGM) CEO Stella David warned of mass closures, and Evoke (William Hill, 888) announced plans to cut thousands of jobs.
With pressures from ever-tightening regulations, the Budget and the black market, job losses are a very real possibility. BGC members will likely be pressing Hurst to urge the Government to take action to prevent what would be an undeniably brutal blow to the industry, particularly its brick-and-mortar sector.
Political pressures
The BGC is a powerful organisation, but it’s not without its enemies. Many vocal anti-gambling lobbyists have attacked the BGC for a number of reasons.
The BGC’s Safer Gambling Week awareness-raising campaign has been a massive success, growing year on year, and making a measurable impact to the usage of gambling support services. Nevertheless, some have called the campaign a “cynical stunt”, and the BGC often finds itself in a position where it must defend and justify itself.
In response to criticisms from anti-gambling organisations, Hurst has taken a strong stance and commented that these “prohibitionist” attitudes are founded on biased, irrational premises. For now, at least, these voices seem to have quietened.
Gambling Act Review
The BGC works closely with the UKGC on legislation, and has been doing so throughout the implementation of the Gambling Act Review, which has been ongoing since 2023.
The BGC is committed to promoting consumer safety, so it’s no surprise that Hurst has spoken out in favour of the Gambling Act Review in general, despite cautioning against the counter-productive effects of over-regulation.
Summary
The UK gambling sector faces a great deal of uncertainty, with regulatory change, rising costs and the growing black market all posing threats to the Betting and Gaming Council’s members.
As CEO, Grainne Hurst has emerged as a clear and informed voice, advocating for responsible, balanced policies. Both the Government and the Gambling Commission would benefit from taking her perspective seriously.
