A new international benchmarking tool from the University of Glasgow is aiming to standardise how policymakers and regulators assess gambling regulation—moving the conversation beyond licensing checklists and toward measurable public-health protection.
The Global Gambling Control Scorecard (GGCS), developed by Gambling Research Glasgow with support from WHO partners, compiles 45 indicators across 34 European jurisdictions, reflecting policy and legislation up to 1 October 2025.
Unlike many comparisons that focus on market structure or channelisation, the GGCS tracks whether jurisdictions have system-level safeguards: actions against illegal or unlicensed gambling (e.g., website/payment blocking and fines), restrictions on advertising, age-verification rules (online and land-based), self-exclusion registers, limits on product speed/intensity, and requirements to protect at-risk populations. It also examines whether gambling harm is integrated into mental health, addiction, suicide prevention, and financial literacy strategies, and whether countries have robust systems to monitor harms and fund prevention and treatment.
The methodology was built using a global e-Delphi process (N=36 experts) and evidence reviews aligned with public-health approaches, with the project funded via a UKRI Impact Acceleration Account grant through the University of Glasgow.
Researchers say the dataset and codebook are publicly available to help governments, regulators and civil-society groups pinpoint gaps, compare reforms and push for more integrated harm-prevention frameworks.
The study presentation can be accessed here: https://www.gla.ac.uk/media/Media_1224831_smxx.pdf.
