UK Gambling Commission to phase in risk checks for high rollers
The UK Gambling Commission has confirmed it will introduce Financial Risk Assessments (FRAs) through a phased rollout, with the new system designed to identify high-spending customers experiencing financial difficulties while reducing intrusive document checks.
The gambling regulator said the assessments will initially apply only to the largest gambling operators and focus on customers making exceptionally high net deposits. Under the first stage, operators will assess players aged 25 and over who deposit more than £5,000 in a rolling 24-hour period, with the threshold halved to £2,500 for customers under 25.
The Commission said the checks will be carried out using Credit Reference Agency data, with no impact on customers’ credit scores and no requirement for most players to submit financial documents.
According to the regulator, 97 per cent of customers exceeding the spending thresholds during pilot testing were assessed “frictionlessly”, significantly above the 80 per cent originally forecast in the UK government’s 2023 Gambling White Paper. Less than three per cent of gambling accounts are expected to require an assessment, while fewer than one in 1,000 accounts would need further verification through measures such as open banking or document requests.
Once fully implemented, the thresholds will fall to £1,000 in net deposits over 24 hours or £3,000 over 90 days for customers aged 25 and over. For those under 25, the limits will be £750 over 24 hours or £2,000 over 90 days.
Acting Gambling Commission Chief Executive Sarah Gardner said the regulator had refined the policy following extensive consultation and pilot testing.
“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,” Gardner said.
The Commission also confirmed it will not take enforcement action against operators that fail to act on Financial Risk Assessment results during the early stages of implementation, although all existing licence conditions will remain in force.
The timetable for the first phase will be confirmed following further engagement with UK gambling sites, credit reference agencies and other stakeholders through industry implementation groups later this summer.
