Gambling.com appoints Shaun Wallace as its Head of Smarter Gambling role

Gambling.com has announced the appointment of television personality and quiz expert Shaun Wallace as its first Head of Smarter Gambling, creating a new role focused on consumer education and safer gambling communication.

The appointment places Wallace at the centre of Gambling.com’s “Smarter Gambling Starts Here” campaign. In the new position, he is expected to contribute to awareness activity and produce content across multiple channels designed to encourage consumers to approach gambling with greater information and awareness.

Shaun Wallace takes on new Gambling.com role

Shaun Wallace is widely known to television audiences as one of the Chasers on ITV’s The Chase. He joined the programme when it launched in 2009 and has continued to appear as one of its established quiz experts.

Wallace is also a barrister and a former Mastermind champion. His professional background combines law, television and competitive quizzing, giving him a public profile built around knowledge, preparation and decision-making.

According to Gambling.com, these qualities are relevant to the company's objective of encouraging consumers to consider information before deciding whether and how to gamble.

The appointment does not position Wallace as a gambling operator. Instead, Gambling.com has described the newly created role as part of its consumer-facing safer gambling and educational activity.

The distinction is important in an industry where information, advertising and consumer protection increasingly intersect. Gambling.com operates as a gambling comparison and advice platform, providing reviews, comparison tools and educational material for users across the markets in which it operates.

Focus on informed gambling decisions

The central message behind the new role is reflected in the company’s “Smarter Gambling Starts Here” campaign.

Rather than presenting safer gambling solely as a compliance matter, the campaign is intended to place information and preparation closer to the beginning of a consumer’s decision-making process.

Gambling.com says its approach includes comparison services, operator information and other forms of consumer content. Its website also states that responsible gambling is an important part of its approach and that it aims to provide guidance to help users remain in control.

Wallace said the decision to accept the position followed his own assessment of how Gambling.com approaches gambling promotion.

“I’m delighted to join the team at Gambling.com as their Head of Smarter Gambling. It mattered to me to understand exactly how they go about promoting gambling before I said yes. I’ve seen under the bonnet, and it’s a dedicated team of professionals set on educating and informing their customers before the action takes place. Information is king, and that’s what I’ve based my career on. Starting your online gambling journey with them is the smartest option, with comparisons and tested recommendations at the core of what they do, you’ll find they live up to their promise.”

His comments place information at the centre of his role and connect his professional background with the campaign’s stated emphasis on informed choices.

Why Shaun Wallace fits the campaign

Wallace’s television career gives the campaign access to a recognisable personality whose public image is closely associated with knowledge and quiz-based expertise.

His role on The Chase has made him familiar to a broad television audience, while his legal career provides an additional professional dimension to his public profile. ITV continues to identify Wallace as one of the programme’s Chasers.

For Gambling.com, the appointment therefore offers an opportunity to communicate safer gambling messages through a personality who is already associated with analytical thinking and informed decision-making.

The company has not suggested that Wallace will replace specialist responsible gambling resources. Instead, his involvement is presented as an additional communications element within the wider campaign.

That approach allows the messaging to focus on practical awareness, including the importance of understanding available information before making gambling decisions.

Gambling.com expands consumer education

Gambling.com describes itself as an independent gambling comparison and advice website. The company says it has been helping consumers make informed decisions since 2006 and provides reviews, expert guides and comparison services across the markets where it operates.

Its current platform covers multiple gambling categories and provides information about operators, games and betting products. The company's website also says that it operates in more than 20 countries and supports more than 10 languages.

The scale of its consumer-facing operations makes the way gambling information is presented particularly relevant to the company's broader brand positioning.

The introduction of a dedicated Head of Smarter Gambling role signals an effort to give this area greater visibility. It also places safer gambling communication alongside the company's existing editorial and comparison activities.

For consumers, the broader principle is that promotional or comparison material should be considered alongside information about licensing, terms, limits and personal circumstances. Regulatory authorities such as the UK Gambling Commission similarly emphasise the importance of understanding gambling risks and using available tools to manage spending and activity.

Dominic Celica highlights the campaign's message

Dominic Celica, Director of PR at Gambling.com, said Wallace's background was closely aligned with the company's desired approach.

“Shaun’s reputation speaks for itself as he’s built a career on knowledge, discipline, and knowing exactly when to get involved. That’s precisely the mindset we want players to bring to their own decisions. ‘Smarter gambling starts here’ is the whole idea behind the work we do every day, and having someone as sharp as Shaun on board reinforces everything we stand for.”

Celica's comments frame the appointment around knowledge and personal decision-making rather than gambling outcomes.

That distinction is significant for safer gambling communications. A responsible approach should not imply that gambling can be made risk-free through better information. Instead, information can help consumers understand the nature of gambling and make decisions with greater awareness of the relevant risks.

Wider importance for gambling communications

The appointment comes at a time when gambling companies and gambling-related businesses face increasing expectations around the way consumers are informed.

Digital platforms have made gambling information easier to access, while comparison websites and affiliate businesses can influence how users discover operators and products. This makes clarity around responsible gambling messaging increasingly important.

A public-facing figure such as Wallace can potentially help make these messages more accessible to audiences that may not engage with conventional regulatory or compliance material.

At the same time, the effectiveness of any safer gambling campaign ultimately depends on the quality and clarity of the information provided. Consumers need to understand that gambling involves financial risk and that no comparison service, recommendation or strategy can remove that underlying risk.

The new role therefore appears designed to complement rather than replace the wider safeguards and information available to consumers.

What the appointment means for Gambling.com

For Gambling.com, appointing Shaun Wallace represents a visible addition to its consumer education strategy.

The company can use Wallace's established television profile to support campaign content while reinforcing its stated emphasis on information and informed decision-making. His background in law and competitive quizzing also gives the campaign a distinctive public face.

The role may also help Gambling.com differentiate its safer gambling communication from conventional promotional messaging. By placing the concept of smarter gambling directly within a senior campaign role, the company is giving the subject a clearer identity across its consumer communications.

However, the practical value of the initiative will ultimately depend on how the campaign is implemented across its content and markets. Gambling regulations and consumer protection requirements can vary between jurisdictions, meaning messaging must remain appropriate to the applicable local framework.

Conclusion

Gambling.com’s appointment of Shaun Wallace as its first Head of Smarter Gambling gives its safer gambling campaign a prominent public ambassador while reinforcing the company's stated focus on information and consumer awareness.

Wallace brings a combination of television experience, legal training and quiz expertise to a role built around communication rather than gambling promotion itself. His involvement in the “Smarter Gambling Starts Here” campaign provides Gambling.com with an opportunity to make responsible decision-making a more visible part of its consumer-facing identity.

The appointment should therefore be viewed primarily as a communications and education initiative. Gambling remains an activity involving financial risk and no campaign can eliminate that risk. What responsible messaging can do is encourage consumers to understand the products they encounter, consider their own circumstances and make decisions with appropriate caution.

For Gambling.com, the longer-term significance of the initiative will depend on how consistently those principles are reflected throughout its comparison services, editorial content and market-specific communications. With Wallace now attached to the campaign, the company has chosen a recognisable figure to help carry that message to a wider audience.

FAQs

Who is Shaun Wallace?
Shaun Wallace is a British barrister, quiz expert and television personality best known as a Chaser on ITV’s The Chase. He joined the programme when it launched in 2009.

What role has Shaun Wallace taken at Gambling.com?
Gambling.com has announced Shaun Wallace as its first Head of Smarter Gambling. The newly created role focuses on safer gambling messaging, consumer education and campaign content.

What is the “Smarter Gambling Starts Here” campaign?
“Smarter Gambling Starts Here” is a Gambling.com campaign focused on encouraging consumers to make informed gambling decisions. Wallace is expected to contribute to the campaign through awareness activity and content.

Why has Gambling.com appointed Shaun Wallace?
Gambling.com has linked Wallace's appointment to his background in knowledge, discipline and decision-making. His television profile also gives the campaign access to a recognisable public figure.

Is Shaun Wallace a gambling operator?
No. The role described by Gambling.com is a communications and consumer education position. Wallace has not been announced as an operator or gambling service provider.

What is Gambling.com?
Gambling.com is a gambling comparison and advice platform that provides operator reviews, comparison services, guides and other consumer-facing content across multiple regulated markets.

What does smarter gambling mean?
In the context of the campaign, smarter gambling refers to making decisions based on relevant information and maintaining awareness of the risks associated with gambling.

Does safer gambling mean gambling is risk-free?
No. Safer gambling measures cannot remove the financial and other risks associated with gambling. They are intended to help consumers understand those risks and maintain greater control over their activity.

What background does Shaun Wallace have?
Wallace is a barrister and former Mastermind champion who became widely known through his television role as a Chaser on The Chase.

What is the significance of the new role?
The appointment gives Gambling.com a dedicated public-facing figure for its smarter gambling campaign and places consumer education more prominently within its communications strategy.