Étincelle Review is an independent consumer publication covering gambling regulation in the United Kingdom. Founded in 2023, we exist to help British adults make informed decisions about gambling — its risks, its regulation, and the support available when it causes harm. We do not sell gambling products, we do not host affiliate links, and we do not accept advertising from operators, whether licensed by the UK Gambling Commission or by any overseas authority.
Editorial independence
The publication is funded through reader contributions and through occasional consultancy work for social-policy organisations, none of which have editorial input into the site. Every commissioned piece is subject to review by our editor-in-chief and by at least one further member of the editorial board with subject-matter expertise. We publish a full corrections log for any piece that requires substantive amendment after publication.
Our editorial team
Our team currently comprises three named contributors and a small number of specialist reviewers who are cited on the pieces they contribute to.
Charlotte Pemberton is our editor-in-chief. Charlotte spent fourteen years covering UK consumer affairs for national broadsheets before founding Étincelle Review. She holds a postgraduate diploma in public policy from Birkbeck and has contributed to policy briefings for two parliamentary select committees on gambling regulation.
Marcus Whitfield is our legal and regulatory analyst. Marcus is a non-practising solicitor who spent eight years in-house at a UK financial services regulator before moving into consumer journalism. He writes on the Gambling Act 2005, the 2023 White Paper reforms and the interaction between the UK, Malta and Curaçao licensing regimes.
Dr Rebecca Ashworth is our behavioural health consultant. Rebecca holds a doctorate in behavioural psychology from the University of Leeds and worked for six years within NHS gambling clinics in the North of England. She contributes clinical framing to our coverage of self-exclusion, harm reduction and recovery pathways.
What we cover
Our reporting focuses on four interlocking topics: the Gambling Commission's regulatory perimeter and how it is enforced; the offshore-licensed environment and the risks it presents to UK consumers; the GAMSTOP self-exclusion scheme and the wider recovery infrastructure; and the operation of UK support services from the National Gambling Helpline through NHS clinics to peer-support communities. We treat these as connected rather than separate topics, because in the experience of most affected readers, they are.
What we do not cover
We do not publish gambling odds, tips, previews or predictions. We do not review specific casino products. We do not maintain "best of" lists. We are not a comparison site. Our editorial policy prohibits any content that could reasonably be construed as promoting a specific operator, whether UK-licensed or otherwise. Readers looking for that kind of information should note that most such sites are not editorially independent from the operators they cover.
Contact
Editorial enquiries, corrections, story tips and requests for interview should be sent to [email protected]. We respond to serious enquiries within three working days. Correspondence relating to gambling harm — either the reader's own or that of someone close to them — will be redirected, with the reader's consent, to the appropriate support service; we do not attempt to provide counselling or clinical support ourselves.
Advertising and funding disclosure
Étincelle Review does not accept advertising from gambling operators, from affiliate networks representing operators, from bonus-code aggregators, or from any commercial entity whose income derives from gambling. Our funding sources are disclosed on request. This policy exists to protect our editorial independence and, we believe, to warrant the trust our readers place in the site.