Gambling Commission confirms staged financial checks

• Gambling Commission confirms a staged rollout of financial risk assessments, beginning with the largest operators.
• Stage one threshold is set at £5,000 net deposit in 24 hours for over-25s, £2,500 for under-25s.
• Betting and Gaming Council warns the checks could push high spenders toward unregulated operators.

The Gambling Commission has confirmed it will introduce financial risk assessments (FRAs) across the UK gambling industry in stages, starting with the largest operators. The regulator’s board approved the move after an extensive pilot but stopped short of setting a full implementation timeline.

The checks are designed to identify high-spending customers who may be experiencing financial difficulty. Implementation groups will now work through the summer to shape the next steps.

The new tripwires

In the first stage, a check will trigger for customers aged 25 and over once net deposits exceed £5,000 in a rolling 24-hour period. For those under 25, the threshold is £2,500 over the same window.

Once fully rolled out, the thresholds will tighten considerably. Over-25s will face checks at £1,000 in 24 hours or £3,000 over a rolling 90-day period. Under-25s will be assessed at £750 in 24 hours or £2,000 over 90 days.

The Commission said the checks will draw on data from credit reference agencies rather than requiring customers to submit documents, aiming for a largely frictionless process.

Sarah Gardner, Acting Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission, said:

“We are confident that our approach, using high-quality data, will enable support for high-spending customers in financial difficulties, while reducing friction for customers who are not in financial difficulties by removing the need for unnecessary and unpopular document checks to understand financial risk.”

The Commission pointed to its pilot findings, which showed 97% of accounts above the relevant thresholds could be assessed without friction, above the 80% estimated in the 2023 white paper. Fewer than 3% of accounts are expected to need an assessment at all, and less than one in 1,000 would face extra friction.

No enforcement action will be taken against operators who fail to act on a triggered assessment during the early implementation period, though existing licence conditions remain in force.

BGC sounds alarm

The Betting and Gaming Council has pushed back strongly against the decision. Chief executive Grainne Hurst said the regulator had failed to resolve fundamental questions about data reliability raised during the pilot process.

Grainne Hurst, CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council, said:

“The Commission has failed to address the fundamental issues identified during its own pilot. It has not demonstrated that the data underpinning these checks is accurate, reliable or consistent enough to support regulatory decisions affecting customers.”

The announcement lands alongside a run of costly compliance and tax news for operators. Remote Gaming Duty rose from 21% to 40% on 1 April 2026, an increase of more than 90% that has significantly squeezed operator margins across the sector.

Against that backdrop, some in the industry warn the combined weight of higher taxes and stricter checks could push high-spending customers toward unregulated offshore operators, many of which accept cryptocurrency and sit outside UK oversight entirely.

Grainne Hurst said:

“If the regulated sector becomes harder to use or less competitive, customers will not stop betting; they will simply go elsewhere.”

The Commission also confirmed a 25% rise in licence fees from October, a decision DCMS pushed through despite near-unanimous industry opposition.

Enforcement activity has stayed high too: the Commission fined Betfred’s online operator £900,000 over social responsibility monitoring failures, and separately penalised Dutch supplier Stakelogic £122,835 after it tested slot spin speeds using a manual stopwatch instead of proper equipment.

The Commission has also invited operators to propose ways of reducing the administrative burden of regulation.

No date yet

The Commission has not set a firm rollout date, an unusual step for a regulator that typically issues clear deadlines. Helen Rhodes, director of major policy projects, said credit reference agencies need time to prepare contracts, integrate systems and train staff.

Gambling Minister Baroness Twycross welcomed the phased approach.

Baroness Twycross, Gambling Minister, said:

“I welcome the Gambling Commission’s decision to implement financial risk assessments in a careful, phased way. Attention must now turn to successful implementation, so that financial risk assessments work for consumers, gambling operators and the wider ecosystem.”

The policy originated under the previous Conservative government’s white paper on gambling reform. The Commission said it had confirmed the current Labour administration remains committed to the framework before proceeding.