GamScore app aims to reduce friction around UK gambling compliance

A new gambling wellbeing app called GamScore is preparing to launch in October. It will aim to help UK players manage their gambling activity. It will also hope to ease compliance pressures for operators.

The app has been developed by former Betfair and Rewards4Racing executive Josh Apiafi alongside Punt founder Phill Adams. It has been positioned as a player-focused tool that combines behavioural insights, AI-driven monitoring and compliance tracking.

The launch comes as debate around the Gambling Commission’s financial risk assessment plans continues across the UK gambling sector. Operators, racing bodies and bettors remain divided over how affordability-style checks should work in practice and whether they risk pushing players towards offshore sites.

GamScore focuses on player monitoring and compliance

According to its developers, GamScore will provide users with a live feed updating several times per day, highlighting behavioural patterns and potential warning signs linked to gambling harm.

The app will also offer educational content and prompts designed to identify adverse activity early. Future versions are expected to include compliance tracking tools that allow users to monitor documentation requirements across multiple operators.

GamScore said this could help reduce frustration linked to repeated checks between operators, an issue that has become more prominent since the Gambling Commission introduced its financial risk assessment pilot.

Apiafi said the app would give players “educational nudges and content” while offering operators a “lower-friction, user-controlled alternative to traditional static, point-in-time credit checks”.

“For operators, GamScore offers a lower-friction, user-controlled alternative to traditional static, point-in-time credit checks.”  - Apiafi, Chair of GamScore

The company also said the product could help discourage movement towards offshore gambling sites by helping players better understand compliance requirements and the risks linked to black-market operators.

Financial risk checks remain controversial

The Gambling Commission first launched its financial risk checks pilot in August 2024 as part of wider reforms connected to the Gambling Act review.

Under the pilot, checks were initially triggered when a player’s net monthly deposits reached £500. A second phase later lowered the threshold to £150. The Commission said the measures were intended to identify signs of binge gambling, significant unaffordable losses and financially vulnerable customers.

However, the proposals sparked widespread debate across the gambling industry.

Racing bodies including the British Horseracing Authority and The Jockey Club warned the measures could reduce betting activity and potentially drive customers towards unlicensed operators. The Jockey Club previously estimated the checks could cost racing more than £250m over five years.

Privacy concerns also emerged among players. Gambling Commission survey data previously showed many respondents opposed affordability-style checks due to concerns around personal freedom and financial privacy.

Although the regulator later shifted its language away from “affordability checks” towards “financial risk assessments”, critics argued the distinction remained unclear.

Industry consultants and legal experts also questioned how operators should respond when financial vulnerability indicators are identified, with concerns over inconsistent intervention standards across the sector.

Industry continues searching for lower-friction solutions

The Gambling Commission has repeatedly insisted the checks are intended to be frictionless and would not require most customers to submit detailed financial documents. Speaking recently, executive director Tim Miller again defended the proposals and stated high-spending customers would not routinely face intrusive processes.

That has left operators increasingly focused on technology-led solutions capable of balancing consumer protection with smoother customer experiences.

GamScore’s developers believe the app could form part of that approach by giving players more visibility over their own gambling activity and compliance history across operators.

The company said the platform is designed to support both consumer protection and “the long-term health of the domestic betting and gaming industries” as the UK market continues adapting to tighter regulation.