The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has officially appointed Grainne Hurst as its new Chief Executive Officer, marking a significant leadership shift for the UK’s standards body for the regulated betting and gaming industry. Grainne steps into the role following a decade at Entain, where she served in senior positions, including Group Corporate Affairs Director, bringing extensive experience from both land-based and online gaming sectors.
Grainne’s appointment, originally announced in April, is part of a broader restructuring of the BGC’s leadership, with former CEO Michael Dugher transitioning to the role of Chair. Grainne has a well-established track record in the industry, including her efforts to promote gender diversity as a board member of Global Gaming Women and leading the charity’s expansion into the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
In her first public statement as CEO, Grainne emphasized her commitment to implementing the UK Government’s White Paper on gambling reform. She noted that this initiative would guide the sector into a new phase of stability and growth, with a particular focus on enhancing diversity within the industry.
During her time at Entain, Grainne played a pivotal role in managing government and public sector relations, overseeing the company’s rebrand from GVC to Entain. She was also instrumental in developing Entain’s global safer gambling strategy, “Changing for the Bettor,” which earned multiple awards for its proactive approach to responsible gaming.
Grainne’s background includes serving as a special advisor to the UK government and academic credentials from King’s College London and Queen Mary University.
The BGC represents over 90% of the UK’s regulated betting and gaming industry, supporting 110,000 jobs and contributing £7.1 billion in gross value added to the economy. The organization continues to advocate for responsible gaming, with recent data from the NHS Health Survey estimating that 0.4% of the adult population in England are problem gamblers, underscoring the importance of ongoing safer gambling initiatives.
BGC CEO Grainne Hurst, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to get started as CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council, the industry champion for so many iconic brands, at home in the UK and around the world.
“This is a crucial time for the BGC’s diverse and growing membership, which supports 110,000 jobs, and caters to millions of customers who enjoy a bet each month in the UK.
“There is a huge amount of work ahead of us, not least delivering and implementing the outstanding proposals outlined in last year’s White Paper, many of which our members called for.
“That includes a statutory levy to address problem gambling and related harms, an Ombudsman for improved consumer redress, online financial risk checks carefully targeted on those at risk, new stake limits for online slots, a Sports Sponsorship Code, plus mission critical modernisation proposals for the land-based casino sector.
“While achieving regulatory certainty after a period of so much change is top of my priority list, it is important for our industry to focus on stability, growth and diversity across the sector. That work must be underpinned by strong data and guided throughout by the voice of the everyday consumer.
“My huge thanks go to Michael Dugher for his amazing work so far getting the BGC to where it is today, I’m really looking forward to working alongside Michael in his new role as BGC Chair.
“I would also like to thank all of the BGC’s members for their support and, alongside the excellent BGC team, I look forward to championing our world class members, on hard-pressed high streets, in the land-based sector and online.
“Our members are rightly proud of their vital role in the UK entertainment industry, and the significant part they play supporting the local and national economies through tax and high value jobs.
“Millions of us enjoy a bet, in bookmakers, in casinos and online and I look forward to championing everything our members do, for their customers, communities and the country.”
BGC Chair Michael Dugher, added: “On behalf of the entire BGC membership, I’d like to warmly welcome Grainne as she officially starts as CEO.
“She brings years of experience and knowledge in the regulated industry, together with a bold vision and strategy to refresh and reset the organisation going forward.
“I look forward to working with Grainne in my new role as Chair, and the rest of the outstanding BGC team, as we continue to represent thousands of workers and millions of customers, as well as delivering on our mission to raise standards in safer gambling”.
