UK Gambling Commission Confirms Phased Financial Risk Checks
The UK Gambling Commission has confirmed that financial risk assessments will be introduced in several stages for customers with high gambling spending.
During the first stage, checks will focus on the largest operators and players with the highest deposit levels. Customers aged 25 and over may be checked if their net deposits exceed around €5,850 within 24 hours. For younger players and other higher-risk groups, the first threshold will be around €2,925.
Once the system is fully introduced, checks will begin at around €1,170 in 24 hours or €3,510 over 90 days for players aged 25 and above. For customers under 25, the limits will be around €880 in one day or €2,340 over 90 days.
The regulator said the checks would use credit reference data and would not affect customers’ credit scores. It also expects fewer than 3% of gambling accounts to be assessed when the system is fully active.
Sarah Gardner, acting chief executive of the Gambling Commission, said:
We are confident that high-quality data will help operators support customers facing financial problems while avoiding unnecessary document checks for other players.
However, the Betting and Gaming Council criticised the decision. Its chief executive Grainne Hurst argued that the pilot had shown differences between data supplied by credit agencies. Hurst said:
Customers could be wrongly identified as financially vulnerable because the current system has not yet been fully proven.
The Commission will now consult operators and other stakeholders before confirming the final launch timetable.
