Online gamblers in Britain who spend more than £1,000 in 24 hours will face new financial risk assessments under plans announced by the Gambling Commission.
The regulator said checks will also apply to customers who spend more than £3,000 over a rolling 90-day period. Lower thresholds will apply to under-25s, with assessments triggered at £750 in 24 hours.
The checks will use data held by credit reference agencies and are intended to identify high-spending customers who may be in financial difficulty. The Gambling Commission said the process will be document-free, will not affect credit scores and should be frictionless for most customers.
The measures will be introduced in stages. The first phase will apply to customers aged over 25 who spend more than £5,000 in a rolling 24-hour period. It will initially apply only to the largest operators and is expected to affect less than 0.5 percent of customers.
The Commission has not set a full implementation timetable, saying the policy will be introduced carefully after engagement with operators and other stakeholders.
Sarah Gardner, acting chief executive of the Gambling Commission, said the majority of customers would never require an assessment. She said the approach was designed to support high-spending customers in financial difficulty while reducing unnecessary friction for those not at risk.
The regulator has insisted the assessments are not affordability checks, a term that has proved controversial among operators, racing bodies and some consumers.
The decision follows the UK government’s 2023 gambling white paper, which recommended enhanced checks for customers experiencing very high losses. The Commission said 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 had a default in the previous 12 months than the wider population.
The Gambling Commission said it was still finding cases where operators failed to identify financial risk early enough, including one customer who deposited £25,000 in 25 days before intervention.
Gambling minister Baroness Twycross said the assessments must work for consumers, operators and the wider market.
The Betting and Gaming Council criticised the announcement, saying it remained concerned about reliability, consumer impact and the practical operation of the checks.
Grainne Hurst, chief executive of the BGC, said the trade body supported proportionate regulation but warned that intrusive or inconsistent checks could push customers towards illegal gambling operators.
The British Horseracing Authority also criticised the move, saying racing bettors could face unwarranted intrusion.
The policy is likely to remain one of the most contested elements of UK gambling reform, with operators warning about black market risk and the Commission arguing that high-spending customers in financial difficulty need earlier identification and support.
