Where do we start with these guys? In simple terms their role is to license and regulate Gambling in the Great Britain.

If you scroll down their bio there are some proud tweets (can I still call them this?) about how much they have fined companies for breaking their rules.

Obviously it’s important this industry is regulated but from my perspective as a punter, nothing seems to have been done about account restrictions.

I grew up thinking this industry was about shrewd punters risking their own money to take on the knowledge of the bookmakers, but that notion no longer exists. If we are smarter than the bookmaker then they just don’t let us in.

Imagine being a customer of a cafe for 25 years and then one day turning up only to be refused entry without any explanation. Or even worse, asking for your regular “Full English Breakfast” to be told, sorry mate, I can’t offer you that, but I can let you have 2 baked beans.

That’s how I’ve been treated recently by one of the biggest bookmakers in the industry and nothing is being done by it. On the Gambling Commission website there is a FAQ page and “Why was my account closed” is high up on that list.

The current automated response from the Gambling Commission is simply to state that companies can close any account.

They do have a big section on safer gambling which is an important topic to cover as I know some people do genuinely struggle a lot and it can be an addiction.

But from my point of view it’s a contradiction. The Gambling Commission are not addressing the problem. Punters like me cannot bet safely because we are restricted on the sports we are good at, yet we can wager as much as we like in the casinos. What is being done about this? Nothing as far as I am aware.

So whilst the Gambling Commission is an important association and can help with a lot of issues, they still are not addressing the major concerns that most punters face now.

The industry in my opinion is in a worst state than at any point since I started betting over 30 years ago and it’s a shame more isn’t being done to protect punters from enjoying gambling, rather than being pushed to wager in an irresponsible and unsafe way.