UK Regulatory Body Advances to Last Stage of Evaluating Potential Gambling Risks
The UK Gambling Commission has provided an update on its ongoing pilot program for financial risk assessments in the remote gambling sector. This latest phase reveals the evolving process and the upcoming steps as part of the Commission's broader initiative to minimize gambling-related financial harm.
Financial risk assessments are designed to flag users potentially in financial distress without affecting credit scores. In stage two of the pilot, 97% of the assessments were completed smoothly and seamlessly.
The Commission's latest findings show that users who crossed the risk thresholds were up to five times more likely to have experienced a financial default in the last year. They were also between two and four times more likely to be enrolled in a debt management plan compared to those below the threshold. These insights have boosted the Commission's confidence in the tool.
Financial risk checks, as the Commission explains, aim to identify high-spending customers who might be financially vulnerable. They differ from "affordability checks," which are not part of the current proposals. The Commission has ensured that financial risk assessments will not influence an individual's credit rating in the future.
In terms of operational progress, stage one saw 95% of checks carried out without user friction, increasing to 97% in stage two and involving around 1.7 million assessments across three credit reference agencies.
The pilot is now entering its third phase, focusing on data accuracy and operator support systems. This phase will extend through the summer. Following this evaluation, the Commission will proceed to stage four.
As part of its collaboration with NatCen for evaluation and analysis, the Commission intends to concentrate more on the consistency of data between credit agencies and how operators can better identify the level of financial distress and offer support to affected customers.
Helen Rhodes, the Director of Major Policy Projects at the UKGC, commented on the findings: "These further insights from the pilot have allowed us to understand the extent that assessments could be carried out with minimum inconvenience." She added that the next steps will focus on improving data accuracy and support systems for gambling operators.
[1] https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/for-the-public/Documents/UKGC-Financial-risk-assessments-pilot-programme-update-May-2025.pdf[2] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57255809[3] https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/for-the-public/Documents/Betting-and-gaming-affordability-fraud-and-safer-gambling-opinion- piece-April-2024.pdf[4] https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/for-the-public/Your- rights/Financial-risk-assessments.aspx[5] https://www.gamblingbusinessgroup.com/uk-gambling-commission-reveals-stage-two-results-of-pilot-programme/
- The UK Gambling Commission's findings suggest that users who exceed the financial risk thresholds in casino-and-gambling activities are at a higher risk of financial distress, with up to five times the chance of experiencing a financial default in the last year, and a higher likelihood of enrolment in a debt management plan.
- In the upcoming phase of the UK Gambling Commission's financial risk assessment pilot program, the focus will shift towards enhancing data accuracy and operator support systems, with the aim of improving gambling-trends analysis and providing better support to financially vulnerable customers in the casino-and-gambling sector.
