UKGC CEO Rhodes to Join a Gaming Law Firm, Rumors Say

A month ago, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) announced that its CEO is set to depart to take up a new role. Rumors now suggest that the outgoing CEO is preparing to join a commercial gaming company as a consultant.

Andrew Rhodes Is Reportedly Joining Hawkbridge

In February, the UKGC said that CEO Andrew Rhodes will officially step down from his position on April 30, 2026. At the time, the regulatory body confirmed that Rhodes had decided to leave the commission in order to take up a new role, but did not disclose further details.

A recent report by Sky News, however, seems to suggest that Rhodes is about to join the commercial gambling sector. This follows earlier rumors saying that the UKGC CEO was preparing to join a gambling law firm as a consultant. Industry experts have been suggesting that this might be the case for several months before the UKGC made its announcement.

The report named Hawkbridge as the firm that Rhodes is reportedly set to join. It should be noted that Hawkbridge is a new firm that was launched last month by a team of gaming law experts, including Harris Hagan.

While Rhodes’ profound experience in gaming and gaming regulation would be a welcome addition to the Hawkbridge team, it also creates a potential conflict of interest due to his reported shift from a regulatory position to a position within the gambling industry itself.

UKGC Discusses Black Market, Crypto

In other news, the UKGC recently addressed the growing threat of the gaming black market, noting that its team cannot handle some of the biggest threats to legal gaming entirely by itself. While the regulator has been making strong progress in gaming regulation, it also emphasized that some of its biggest opponents include huge criminal organizations and international gambling corporations.

Tim Miller, the regulatory body’s executive director, also discussed the potential of legalizing crypto payments amid broader talks about cryptocurrency adoption in Great Britain.