Ruth Evans Appointed Gambling Commission Chair After 20-Month Vacancy

^{Ruth Evans takes over as Gambling Commission chair on 30 September, replacing Charles Counsell, who has served as interim chair since February 2025. (Photo: Mutney / Wikimedia Commons)}

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has appointed Ruth Evans as the new Chair of the Gambling Commission, ending a 20-month gap since Marcus Boyle stepped down from the role in January 2025. Evans starts a five-year term on 30 September 2026.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy confirmed the appointment on 7 September 2026, in a statement published by both DCMS and the Gambling Commission. Evans is currently chair of Stop Scams UK, the industry body she founded to bring banks, telecoms firms and technology companies together against fraud.

Who Ruth Evans Is

Evans has spent more than four decades in consumer protection and public-body governance. She chaired the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) from 2016 to 2019, was the first chair of the Bar Standards Board, spent nine years as a lay member of the General Medical Council chairing its Standards and Ethics Committee, and served as a non-executive director of the Serious Fraud Office.

Between 2015 and 2019 she also sat at the Financial Conduct Authority, and in 2018 chaired the steering group that produced the industry's voluntary code for reimbursing victims of authorised push payment bank transfer scams. She has recently taken on the chair of the Criminal Legal Aid Advisory Board.

'I look forward to working with the Commission to encourage online safety for UK citizens that strengthen consumer protections while supporting a responsible, innovative and sustainable gambling sector,' Evans said in the announcement.

A Long Vacancy at a Pivotal Time

The Commission has operated without a permanent chair since Boyle's departure. Charles Counsell OBE, previously chief executive of the pensions regulator, has held the position on an interim basis, and thanked him for providing 'stability for the organisation during an important period,' according to the regulator's own news release.

In the DCMS statement, Counsell welcomed his successor: 'Ruth's regulatory and consumer experience will be invaluable to the Board as we continue our work to make gambling safer, fairer and crime-free.' He pointed to the Commission's ongoing work on illegal gambling enforcement and implementation of the Gambling Act Review as priorities Evans will inherit.

Nandy also used her statement to frame the appointment against the industry's current position: 'She becomes Chair at this incredibly important time, supporting a sustainable, thriving industry with the essential protections needed to prevent harm.'

What Happens Next

The role carries a salary of £85,000 a year for a two-day-a-week commitment. Under the Gambling Act 2005, the Secretary of State makes the appointment, assisted by an Advisory Assessment Panel that includes a senior civil servant and an independent panel member approved by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Evans takes the chair as the regulator works through the practical rollout of the Gambling Act Review and continues its enforcement drive against unlicensed operators, an area that has produced several licence suspensions this year. The Commission had been searching for a new chair since Boyle's exit, with the process running alongside the wider reform push that followed the 2023 gambling white paper.

Her arrival also comes shortly after the Commission's chief executive set out a compliance agenda at the BGC's annual meeting, signalling that enforcement and licensing conditions will remain a focus for the board Evans now leads. DCMS has not indicated whether Evans will face a pre-appointment hearing before Parliament, a step sometimes used for senior regulatory posts.

Further detail on the appointment, including the make-up of the Advisory Assessment Panel, is available in the DCMS announcement.