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UKUK Online Gamblers Spending Over £1,000 To Face Financial Risk Checks
Key Highlights
- UK online gamblers spending over £1,000 in 24 hours will face new financial risk assessments.
- The checks will also apply to customers spending over £3,000 across a rolling 90-day period.
- Gambling industry groups warn the measures could push some customers toward illegal operators.
The United Kingdom’s Gambling Commission is introducing new responsible gambling measures to protect users from overzealous betting practices. The move has prompted backlash and sparked concerns among industry groups, however.
New Checks Will Focus On High-Spending Online Gamblers
As part of the Gambling Commission’s new plans, online gamblers who spend more than £1,000 in a 24-hour period will be required to complete a financial risk assessment. The same requirement will apply to customers spending more than £3,000 across a rolling 90-day period.
Gamblers under 25 will face lower limits, with the 24-hour threshold set at £750. The regulator said the checks will be introduced in a “very careful, staged way.” The Gambling Commission said the first stage of the rollout will begin this summer after engagement with the industry and other stakeholders.
The first phase will begin with players 25 and over who gamble more than £5,000 in a rolling 24-hour window at UK gambling sites. This initial stage will affect less than 0.5% of customers.
Regulator Says Assessments Are Not Affordability Checks
The Gambling Commission claims the assessments will use data held by credit reference agencies, but it has insisted they are not “affordability checks.” The vast majority of customers will never need to go through an assessment, according to acting chief executive Sarah Gardner.
For high roller customers who meet the wager requirements, the regulator said the process will be frictionless and document-free, with no impact on their credit score. Gardner said the approach is intended to support customers who may be in financial difficulty while reducing unnecessary disruption for others.
The impetus for the measure is the notion that some high-spending gamblers are facing financial problems but are not being identified or supported by betting firms. The Gambling Commission said high-spending customers were between two and four times more likely to have a debt management plan than the wider population.
High-spending bettors are also between two and five times more likely to have had a default in the previous 12 months. The regulator said it had recently found a case where a customer deposited £25,000 in 25 days before a gambling operator interacted with them.
Industry Groups Raise Concerns Over Black Market Risk
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) criticised the announcement, saying it was “deeply disappointed and frustrated” by the Gambling Commission’s decision. The group, which represents gambling firms in the UK, said the changes could push customers toward the black market.
BGC CEO Grainne Hurst claims concerns about reliability, consumer impact, and how the checks will work have not been resolved. She said the commission had not provided enough “accurate, reliable or consistent” data to support changes to UK online gambling laws. The British Horseracing Authority also criticised the plans, saying the changes would subject racing bettors to “unwarranted levels of intrusion.”
