New UK Gambling Minister 2026: BGC Welcomes Peacock and Nandy at DCMS

Stephanie Peacock MP has been confirmed as the UK's gambling minister for 2026, keeping the brief at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) after Andy Burnham replaced Keir Starmer as prime minister on July 20, 2026. Lisa Nandy has been retained as DCMS Secretary of State, and the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has formally welcomed both, pledging to work with the new team on jobs, growth and safer gambling standards.

Key facts

• Andy Burnham became the UK's seventh prime minister in a decade when he replaced Keir Starmer on July 20, 2026, according to reporting from NPR.
• The regulated betting and gaming sector supports around 110,000 jobs and serves 22.5 million people who bet each month, according to BGC chair Michael Dugher's statement welcoming the new DCMS team.
• Remote Gaming Duty rose from 21 percent to 40 percent from April 2026, with a new 25 percent Remote Betting Duty on online betting profit following from April 2027, according to Treasury figures reported by iGaming Business.

Who is the UK's new gambling minister in 2026?

Stephanie Peacock is the UK's gambling minister, confirmed in her post as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at DCMS with responsibility for sport, gambling and civil society. The MP for Barnsley South since 2024 previously sat for Barnsley East from 2017 to 2024, a seat once held by current BGC chair Michael Dugher. Before entering Parliament she worked as a teacher and as a political officer for the GMB trade union, and she has shadowed the gambling brief from the opposition benches since 2023, giving her direct familiarity with the file she now runs from government.

Why did the DCMS ministerial team change this month?

The team changed because of a wider Downing Street transition rather than a DCMS specific reshuffle. Keir Starmer left office and Andy Burnham became prime minister on July 20, 2026, after meeting King Charles III, becoming Britain's seventh prime minister in a decade. Cabinet appointments that followed touched several departments with a bearing on gambling policy, but DCMS itself was one of the calmer moves: Lisa Nandy stayed in place while Stephanie Peacock's position as gambling minister was confirmed rather than replaced.

Did Lisa Nandy keep her job as culture secretary?

Yes. Lisa Nandy, the MP for Wigan, was retained as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport under Burnham, giving her continued overall responsibility for gambling regulation. In her prior term she oversaw the rollout of reforms from the 2023 Gambling Act White Paper and established the Illegal Gambling Taskforce to target unlicensed operators, while resisting calls from Liberal Democrat MPs to force football clubs to sever sponsorship ties with betting brands. Her retention signals continuity in DCMS gambling policy rather than a fresh start.

What did the Betting and Gaming Council say about the new ministers?

The BGC issued a formal welcome statement on its website within days of the appointments being confirmed. BGC chair Michael Dugher said the trade body was ready to work with the incoming team, framing the sector as an economic asset rather than a problem to be managed.

"On behalf of our members, the 110,000 people whose jobs rely on the regulated betting and gaming industry, and the 22.5 million people who enjoy a bet each month, I am delighted to welcome Lisa Nandy to her new position," said Michael Dugher, BGC chair, in the council's statement. "Both Lisa and Steph bring a wealth of experience to their new roles, backed by Labour's welcome commitment to work with the industry. This is a sector ready to contribute on growth, jobs and investment in the economy."

The BGC also welcomed a separate announcement from Nandy on grassroots sports investment, including a programme allowing local clubs to take over pitches and facilities, and repeated its commitment to implementing the White Paper's evidence based reforms, including a statutory levy, a gambling Ombudsman, financial risk checks and casino modernisation.

Who else in the new cabinet matters for gambling policy?

Beyond DCMS, several appointments carry indirect weight for the sector. John Healey moves from Defence Secretary to Chancellor of the Exchequer, a role that controls gambling duty rates; he backed the original 2005 Gambling Act as a backbencher. Jonathan Reynolds now heads a merged Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade that includes Britain's first dedicated Minister of AI, relevant as operators lean further into AI powered trading and affordability tools. Yvette Cooper moves to Health Secretary, a department whose NHS gambling harm clinics give it a growing stake in how safer gambling policy is framed.

How much tax will the gambling industry now pay?

The industry is absorbing one of the steepest duty increases in its history, agreed before this reshuffle but now inherited by Healey at the Treasury.

Measure	Previous	New	Effective
Remote Gaming Duty	21 percent	40 percent	April 2026
Remote Betting Duty (online betting profit)	No separate duty	25 percent	April 2027
Forecast annual gambling tax receipts	Approx. GBP 3.6 billion (2024 to 25)	GBP 4 billion (2025 to 26), rising to GBP 5 billion (2026 to 27)	HM Treasury forecast

Government officials have said operators are expected to pass on up to 90 percent of the duty increases to consumers through pricing or reduced payouts, according to Treasury analysis cited by iGaming Business. That backdrop shapes how the BGC is approaching the new ministerial team: the council's talk of "growth, jobs and investment" doubles as a case against any further duty rises.

What is the Gambling Act White Paper and where does it stand under the new team?

The White Paper is the UK government's 2023 blueprint for updating the Gambling Act 2005, covering stake and spend limits on online slots, affordability and financial risk checks, a statutory funding levy for research, education and treatment, a single Ombudsman for player complaints, and modernised rules for land based casinos. Nandy's continuity at DCMS means the reforms already in motion, including the levy and the Ombudsman, are expected to keep moving rather than being reopened from scratch, though the BGC's statement frames its cooperation as conditional on the process staying "evidence based."

Could the new team change stake limits or affordability checks?

There is no indication of an imminent change to the online slot stake limits or the graduated financial risk checks already being phased in under the White Paper. Because Nandy oversaw their design and Peacock shadowed the same brief in opposition, the more likely path is technical refinement, such as adjusting check thresholds based on early data, rather than a reversal. Any larger shift would need to come from new legislation, which has not been signalled.

What does this mean for gambling operators and investors?

For listed operators, the headline risk is fiscal rather than regulatory. With Remote Gaming Duty already at 40 percent and Remote Betting Duty due in 2027, a Chancellor with a gambling supportive voting record does not guarantee the Treasury holds rates steady, particularly if growth forecasts disappoint. On regulation itself, continuity at DCMS under Nandy and Peacock is the more reassuring signal, reducing the chance of an abrupt policy reversal in the months around the 2026 football World Cup, a period of peak betting activity and regulatory scrutiny.

What happens next for UK gambling policy?

The near term calendar includes continued rollout of White Paper measures, ongoing scrutiny of unlicensed operators through the Illegal Gambling Taskforce, and the industry's ability to make its growth case to Healey's Treasury ahead of the next fiscal event. The BGC has signalled it will use the ministerial reset to push its economic contribution argument, while safer gambling campaigners are expected to press the same new ministers to accelerate levy funded treatment programmes.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the UK gambling minister in 2026?

Stephanie Peacock MP, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at DCMS, holds the gambling brief as of July 2026, alongside responsibility for sport and civil society.

Is Lisa Nandy still the DCMS Secretary of State?

Yes. She was retained as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when Andy Burnham became prime minister on July 20, 2026.

Who is Andy Burnham?

Andy Burnham is the UK's new prime minister, taking office on July 20, 2026 after replacing Keir Starmer, becoming Britain's seventh prime minister in the past decade.

How much is Remote Gaming Duty in 2026?

Remote Gaming Duty rose from 21 percent to 40 percent from April 2026, with a new 25 percent Remote Betting Duty on online betting profit due from April 2027.

What is the Betting and Gaming Council?

The BGC is the standards body for Britain's regulated betting and gaming industry, representing operators whose activities support around 110,000 jobs and 22.5 million monthly bettors.

Updated July 2026.