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UK gamblers resist financial checks in sports betting, study reveals

Would you hand over your bank statements to bet? Most UK gamblers say no—and some would quit entirely. The numbers expose a deep distrust of financial scrutiny.

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The image shows a group of gamblers attacking the readers, depicted in a paper with a drawing of a...
The image shows a group of gamblers attacking the readers, depicted in a paper with a drawing of a man in a hat and a woman in a dress. The gamblers are standing in a line, with some of them holding objects in their hands, while the woman is lying on the ground in front of them. At the bottom of the paper, there is some text written.

Still, the sports betting community, Online Betting Guide (OLBG), released the results of a new study, revealing insights into how punters feel about affordability checks. Conducted by YouGov, the new probe engaged with 1,007 gamblers in the UK between February 23 and March 2, 2023.

UK gamblers resist financial checks in sports betting, study reveals

Although there are no mandatory affordability requirements, in light of significant fines against companies allowing gamblers that cannot afford to wager, imposed by the gambling regulator in the UK, the Gambling Commission, some operators have decided to implement their own affordability thresholds. With that in mind, the new study uncovered that a majority of the bettors disagree with sharing sensitive financial documents for affordability checks.

60% Of Gamblers Not Happy with Providing Financial Data

Overall, nearly 60% of the participants in the new research admitted they have not been asked to provide financial documents for an affordability check but wouldn't provide even if they are asked to do so. A breakdown of that result shows that 29.2% of the participants were not asked to provide such info but if asked, they would quit betting altogether.

Separately, 27.4% of the gamblers admitted they have not been asked for financial documents for an affordability check but if asked, they would not do so and select a different licensed gambling operator. What's worrying is that 3.2% of the gamblers admitted they weren't asked for such documents but if asked, they wouldn't provide them and place a bet with an unlicensed operator.

In contrast, only 16.2% of the gamblers said that they were asked to provide financial documents and they have done so. Another 18.5% admitted that they haven't been asked for documents related to affordability checks but if asked, would provide them.

A small percentage of the gamblers, or 3.9%, confirmed that they were asked about financial documents but refused to provide them and switched to another licensed operator. Only 0.8% of the gamblers that were asked to provide documents for financial checks decided to stop betting, while 0.9% said that they were asked but decided not to provide such information and switched to an unlicensed operator.

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