UKGC Policy Chief’s Exit Marks Board Shake-Up at EU Regulator
The Gambling Regulators European Forum (GREF), the body that brings together gambling regulators from across Europe, has reshuffled its board following the departure of the UK Gambling Commission’s long-serving policy chief, Tim Miller. The change was confirmed this week and comes as the UKGC itself works through one of the busiest periods of leadership turnover in its history.
What’s actually changed
On Monday, the Gambling Regulators European Forum announced a reshuffle of its board following the departure of two long-standing members and the appointment of two new officers.
Tim Miller, who resigned from the UK Gambling Commission earlier this year, has stepped down from the GREF board and has relinquished his role as treasurer.
Jean-Michel Costes has also left the board after concluding his role at France’s Autorité Nationale des Jeux.
Replacing Miller as treasurer is Ian Angus, director of policy at the UK Gambling Commission where, since 2020, he has been closely engaged in policy development.
This includes the Gambling Act white paper and its recommendations on financial risk assessments.
Olivia Petit has also been appointed as board secretary of GREF.
Miller’s exit from GREF follows his wider departure from the Gambling Commission itself.
The Gambling Commission announced that Tim Miller, Executive Director of Policy & Research, decided to leave the Commission in September 2026 after 10 years of service, taking up a new role outside the British regulated gambling industry supporting governments and regulators developing gambling regulatory systems around the world.
He was a key UK figure during a period when the Gambling Commission implemented extensive reforms to online gambling regulation and affordability checks.
His departure is not an isolated change at the top of the regulator.
Miller’s exit is the second from the Commission’s senior team in 2026, with chief executive Andrew Rhodes having left on 30 April 2026 after almost five years, with deputy chief executive Sarah Gardner stepping up as acting chief executive.
Ruth Evans was named the new Gambling Commission chair, taking over from Charles Counsell after over a year in the position.
What it means for you
None of this changes any rule you deal with as a player directly, but it matters for continuity.
Miller’s departure leaves two of the regulator’s most senior posts in interim hands midway through the Gambling Act Review reforms.
Given that Miller’s own brief covered exactly the areas players care about most, the person now steering that work is largely untested in the top job.
These included reforms to age verification, financial vulnerability checks, remote game design and direct marketing controls, amid other measures.
Angus’s appointment to the GREF board is being read as a signal that the UK’s voice in international regulatory cooperation continues despite the churn at home.
His appointment signals a continuation of UK influence within GREF, even as the Gambling Commission undergoes personnel changes.
For players, that international link matters because affordability checks, stake limits and safer-gambling standards are increasingly compared and coordinated across European regulators, meaning decisions taken abroad can inform what happens to your account here.
The bigger picture
The overlapping departures have unsettled observers watching the pace of reform.
Senior leadership at Britain’s gambling regulator has turned over at an unusual speed during the most far-reaching reform programme in two decades.
The Commission has named no permanent successor to Rhodes, and Miller’s own replacement has not been confirmed; the regulator said arrangements to cover his responsibilities would be set out in due course.
With financial risk checks, the statutory levy and stake-limit measures all still bedding in, who takes charge of finishing that work is likely to shape how smoothly – and how quickly – the remaining White Paper reforms reach players’ accounts.
Sources
- iGaming Business – GC’s Tim Miller among board members to step down from GREF as Ian Angus joins
- Focus Gaming News – Gambling Regulators European Forum announces board changes
- SoloAzar – GREF Welcomes New Regulators to Enhance Board Leadership
- UK Gambling Commission – Tim Miller announces departure from Gambling Commission
- European Gaming – Leadership changes mount at Gambling Commission as Tim Miller departs
- Gambling News – UKGC to Part Ways with Executive Director of Policy and Research Tim Miller
