Gamblers who spend more than £1,000 online in a 24-hour window will soon have to undergo a financial risk assessment, the Gambling Commission has announced. The regulator said the threshold would also apply to anyone losing over £3,000 in a rolling 90-day period, with lower limits for under-25s.
The assessments will be based on data held by credit reference agencies, but the commission insisted they are not “affordability checks”. Acting chief executive Sarah Gardner said the vast majority of customers would never require an assessment. Those who do would have a “frictionless, document-free” check with no impact on their credit score.
“Gamblers spending over £1,000 online in 24 hours will face financial risk assessments, the Gambling Commission has announced.”
The commission said there was evidence that some high-spending customers were experiencing financial difficulties without being identified or supported by bookmakers. High-spending gamblers were between two and four times more likely to have a debt management plan, and between two and five times more likely to have a default in the previous 12 months, compared with the wider population.
The changes will be introduced in a “very careful, staged way”, the commission said, without setting a timeline. The first stage will apply to over-25s who gamble more than £5,000 in a rolling 24-hour period, and only to the largest gambling companies. The watchdog said this would affect less than 0.5% of customers and would be rolled out this summer. Eventually, the threshold will be lowered to £1,000 in 24 hours, or £750 for under-25s.
The Betting and Gaming Council, which represents gambling firms, said it was “disappointed and frustrated” with the changes, warning they could push customers towards the black market. Gardner acknowledged that stakeholders had expressed concerns that more regulation could drive problem gamblers to unlicensed sites. She also noted that affordability checks – which the new assessments are designed to replace – were “deeply unpopular” with gamblers.
The Gambling Survey for Great Britain found that in 2024, 9.3% of adults who gambled online (excluding lotteries) scored eight or more on the Problem Gambling Severity Index, a measure where a score of eight or higher means a person “may have lost control of their behaviour”. The index runs to 27.
The commission’s announcement follows a 2023 white paper that recommended enhanced checks on customers experiencing very high losses. But with no timeline for the full rollout, the question remains whether the phased approach will satisfy critics on both sides – those demanding stronger protections and those who fear a surge in black market gambling.