Ruth Evans takes over as Chair of the UK Gambling Commission on September 30, starting a five-year term. The timing is unusual. New deposit limit rules take effect that same day, while other player protection changes are already moving through the regulatory process.
Casino players won’t wake up to a different rulebook because Evans is now Chair. She’ll lead the Commission’s board, but existing rules and reforms continue on the timelines already set.
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Ruth Evans Starts Five-Year Gambling Commission Term
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy appointed Evans, with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport announcing the decision on September 7. Her five-year term starts September 30. The role pays £85,000 per year and carries an expected commitment of two days per week.
Evans replaces Charles Counsell OBE, who has served as Interim Chair since Marcus Boyle left the position in January 2025. Counsell was always filling the role on an interim basis. Evans’ arrival on September 30 instead gives the Commission its first permanent chair since Boyle left, ending a gap of more than 20 months.
Evans doesn’t come from a gambling industry background. Her experience is mostly in consumer protection, financial oversight and regulation, including more than 40 years across public-interest and regulatory roles. She currently chairs Stop Scams UK.
Previous positions include Chair of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority and roles with the Serious Fraud Office, National Audit Office and Ofcom Consumer Panel.
The obvious theme is consumer protection, but that only tells us where Evans has worked before. It doesn’t tell us what she’ll do at the Gambling Commission. So far, she hasn’t announced a personal agenda for casino regulation.
What Changes for UK Casino Players on September 30?
September 30 does bring a real change for online casino customers, just not one introduced by Evans.
From that date, remote gambling operators must offer customers a gross deposit limit. That means a limit on the total amount deposited during a set period, without subtracting withdrawals. These limits must receive at least equal prominence to other financial limits offered by an operator.
Once a customer hits a deposit limit, further deposits must be blocked until the period resets or the customer increases the limit. An increase remains subject to the standard 24-hour cooling-off period.
The deposit-limit change applies across licensed online casinos in the UK from September 30. That date was set before Evans was appointed. In fact, the rules were supposed to start June 30, but operators were given another three months for technical preparation.
Financial Risk Assessments Are Also Coming
Deposit limits aren’t the only unfinished piece of regulation waiting for Evans. Financial Risk Assessments are being rolled out in stages, and that work was already well underway before her appointment.
The Commission plans to introduce these checks for customers with high net deposits. Stage 1 starts at more than £5,000 within 24 hours for customers aged 25 or older and £2,500 for customers under 25. The Commission says fewer than 0.5% of customers exceed the £5,000 level.
The eventual thresholds are much lower. For customers aged 25+, assessments are planned above £1,000 in 24 hours or £3,000 over 90 days. For under-25s, those figures fall to £750 and £2,000.
The same rules apply to established brands and new online casinos in the UK once they’re licensed by the Commission. A change of chair doesn’t give operators a reset on existing requirements.
Evans Takes Over During a Wider Commission Shake-Up
Evans won’t be the only new face around the Commission’s senior ranks.
Former Chief Executive Andrew Rhodes announced his departure earlier in 2026, while Executive Director of Policy and Research Tim Miller is leaving in September after 10 years at the Commission. The regulator is also developing a new strategy, continuing work against illegal gambling and completing its part of the Gambling Act Review.
Put those departures alongside the unfinished Gambling Act Review work and September’s rule changes, and Evans is arriving at a regulator already in motion. There won’t be much of a settling-in period.
Evans’ first day and the new deposit-limit rules share a date, but that’s where the connection ends. The rules were already coming.
The real test of her appointment comes later, once the Commission starts making decisions under its new Chair. Until then, Evans’ consumer protection background offers some context, but not a roadmap for what happens next.
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