This chapter contributes to our understanding of the global gambling industry by shedding light on test houses, a central but largely hidden actor in gambling markets. Test houses are conformity assessment bodies that test, inspect and certify online gambling operators’ software and security management systems against technical standards and security requirements developed by regulators and international standard setting organisations. Situated between regulators and gambling operators, test houses are the central regulatory intermediary in this politically contested policy area.
I argue that we must be attentive to the crucial role and position of test houses in gambling regulation and markets if we are to understand not only the structure of gambling markets and regulation, but also how relationships of dependence create networks of influence within markets and regulation. Gambling regulators, operators and software suppliers are reliant upon test houses in all aspects of the regulatory process. In turn, test houses are both central to the functioning of gambling market and commercially reliant upon gambling markets. I contend that these relationships of dependence raise questions about regulatory capture and independence, which can affect the extent to which regulation promotes public rather than private interests.