The UK Government is set to press ahead with financial checks on gambling customers who incur heavy losses, according to local media reports. The Gambling Commission is expected to confirm the proposals today.
The proposals, which could require checks on customers losing more than £1,000 in a single day, are set to reignite debate between the Labour Government and bookmakers, many of whom have opposed the measures.
The proposed checks, outlined in a 2023 consultation related to the Government’s Gambling Act review, would require operators to utilise credit reference data to assess whether high-spending players are experiencing financial difficulties, following the implementation of lighter-touch checks at lower loss thresholds.
Under the proposals, gamblers who lose more than £125 over 30 days or £500 over a year would undergo basic "vulnerability" checks using publicly available records, such as bankruptcy data.
Those who lose more than £1,000 within 24 hours or £2,000 over 90 days would be subject to enhanced assessments using credit reference data.
Following a pilot program in 2025, the Commission stated that the system could operate in a "frictionless" manner for most users.
It indicated that only about 3% of accounts would be impacted, with approximately 97% of checks conducted automatically. Consequently, only a small percentage of customers would face additional scrutiny.
So far, financial checks were significantly more limited. Since August 2024, operators have been required to carry out only basic checks using publicly available information, such as bankruptcy records, when customers deposit more than £500 in a month, with the threshold later reduced to £150.
The UK Government recently launched a 12-week call for evidence on the future of National Lottery Good Cause funding, opening the first major review of the model in more than 20 years
