Sarah Fox, who led gambling and lottery policy at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport for four years, is joining the Gambling Commission. She will take an executive role covering policy, research, statistics and National Lottery regulation. The appointment follows the departure of executive director Tim Miller and comes three months after chief executive Andrew Rhodes stepped down. Interim chief Sarah Gardner currently heads the regulator.
The Commission has faced criticism for implementing financial risk assessments before publishing full pilot data. Parliament's Culture, Media and Sport Committee requested further explanation of the evidence base and implementation process. A sharp dispute erupted with the British Horseracing Authority, which accused the regulator of ignoring its position before deciding on the checks. Gardner called the claims 'surprising and disappointing'; BHA responded that contact had indeed been absent during the critical weeks.
Industry commentator Vaughan Lewis sees no sign of direct government interference in Fox's appointment. 'I see no evidence that authorities are taking the criticism seriously,' he says. 'This looks more like a bureaucratic need for information flow and documentation.' The deeper problem, in his view, is that the regulator has assumed Parliament's role in shaping policy.
Fox inherits two challenges. The first is operational: complete the white paper reforms, assess their impact and oversee the lottery amid a staffing shortfall. The second is restoring industry and parliamentary confidence in the evidence behind decisions.
