Gambling Commission confirms phased rollout of financial risk assessments

The Gambling Commission has confirmed it will begin introducing financial risk assessments (FRAs) through a phased rollout. This will bring one of the most debated measures from the 2023 Gambling Act review a step closer to becoming reality.

The regulator says the new system is designed to identify customers whose gambling spend may indicate financial vulnerability, while reducing the need for operators to request bank statements or other financial documents. However, the announcement has already prompted renewed criticism from the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), which argues the evidence supporting the policy remains incomplete.

How the financial risk assessments will work

The rollout will begin with the largest gambling operators and only the highest-spending customers.

Initially, financial risk assessments will be triggered when customers aged 25 and over make net deposits exceeding £5,000 within a rolling 24-hour period. According to the Gambling Commission, only around 0.5% of UK gambling customers currently exceed this level.

For customers under the age of 25 and other higher-risk groups, the initial threshold will be £2,500 within 24 hours.

Once the system is fully implemented, significantly lower thresholds will apply.

These figures differ from the original proposals contained in the 2023 Gambling White Paper, which suggested checks after losses of £2,000 over a 90-day period.

Pilot results exceeded expectations

The Gambling Commission said results from its pilot programme provided confidence that the new approach could operate without creating widespread disruption for customers.

The pilot, which ran between August 2025 and early 2026, found that 97% of customers exceeding the spending thresholds could be assessed using credit reference agency (CRA) data alone. That was considerably higher than the 80% estimate outlined in the White Paper.

Gambling Commission defends the policy

The regulator maintains that financial risk assessments are intended to better identify customers experiencing financial distress rather than acting as affordability checks for all gamblers.

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."

Industry criticism continues

Despite months of consultation and pilot testing, the Betting and Gaming Council remains firmly opposed to the policy.

Chief Executive Grainne Hurst said the organisation was "deeply disappointed and frustrated" that the Commission was proceeding despite concerns raised by operators, parliamentarians, customers and the racing industry.

The BGC argues that inconsistencies between credit reference agencies could see identical customers receive different outcomes depending on which provider is used. It has also criticised the Commission for not publishing a full evaluation of the pilot before confirming the rollout.

The debate has extended beyond the gambling industry itself. Earlier this year, a cross-party group of MPs urged the government to abandon the proposals, warning that affordability-style checks could discourage betting activity and have wider consequences for the horseracing sector, which remains heavily reliant on betting revenues.

A significant step in gambling reform

Financial risk assessments have been one of the most controversial elements of the UK's post-White Paper gambling reforms since they were first proposed in 2023.

The coming months will see implementation groups work with operators to refine the practical operation of the system before the first phase begins. With both supporters and critics closely watching the rollout, financial risk assessments are likely to remain one of the industry's defining regulatory issues throughout 2026 and beyond.