Gambling Commission threat over stats ‘misuse’
"This is also why we are taking the misuse of official statistics so seriously as well. We have and will continue to take action wherever we see misuse of our official statistics.” – Ben Haden, Director of Research and Statistics, Gambling Commission
Any context?
Those ominous-sounding 2 sentences were buried, almost, towards the end of Ben Haden’s recent online article discussing the latest data findings from the GSGB (Gambling Survey for Great Britain).
Sounds serious. But that was it. No examples, references or context. Just that, and about 90% the way through an article which, while covering the issues of stats, had a very different focus.
It seems to be a reminder about the Gambling Commission’s CEO, Andrew Rhodes’ open letter on the topic in August of last year.
Why and what now?
This begs some questions:
- What has happened recently to generate this warning?
- Where? By who? And when? How many times? What problems did it cause?
- Why isn’t the Gambling Commission explaining the implications of stats misuse?
Answers?
Some may well also question the dictatorial tone of Haden’s message. Stats, after all, will be interpreted and used by many people, in different ways and for different purposes. A warning about their alleged ‘misuse’ should surely come with more context.
