Profile

Joanne worked for Mecca Bingo for 14 years, joining straight from University as a Trainee manager. She worked across the country before being promoted to General Manager in the North West of England. Joanne was the holder of a GB11 licence under the Gaming Board of Great Britain – remembering vividly sitting before a panel of Senior Gaming Board Inspectors and being grilled for almost three hours. The opportunity to join the Gambling Commission arose (at about the same time as the smoking ban) and she took redundancy –  going from being Poacher to Gamekeeper.

The Gambling Commission officially took charge of the whole of the industry on 1 September 2007 and the Compliance managers were responsible for their own geographical area. This meant that they each made contact with the local authority, police authority and all of the gambling establishments in this area.

The first few years were filled with assisting operators to become compliant and ensuring that those who needed to be licensed were. After the Hampton report (2005) and the subsequent sanctions on regulation in 2008, the Commission was tasked with reducing the administrative regulatory burden on the industry; and as such all visits to premises had to be justified on a risk basis.

Consequently, the time spent out in the premises was reduced and desk based compliance inspections, as well as thematic inspections around areas deemed to be high risk, became more prevalent. Ultimately, Joanne became involved with the compliance visits to several National operators, offering both land and online products, including the Annual Assurance statements and Independent Security Audits. From her experience dealing with every level of management, from CEO to shop staff – she has received praise for her approach and knowledge of the industry; providing a fair and measured approach to compliance.