The enforcement powers under the Gambling Act 2005 came into force on 1 September 2007 and it is too early to assess their effectiveness. The Gambling Commission has been given wide-ranging enforcement powers and I expect it to use them fairly and proportionately.
[holding answer 4 October 2007]: For 2007-08 the total running costs of the Gambling Commission are budgeted at £15.5 million. Currently the commission has 248 employees, but this is expected to fall to a steady state of around 200 by April 2008.