UKGC to set out the next step for customer affordability checks in the UK

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is expected to give an update this morning on the future of financial risk assessments (FRAs), including the framework and timetable for making them binding on UK customers. For PSPs and operators, the important part is not the headline about “checks” — it is where the thresholds land, how much of the process is automated, and how much customer friction the regulator is still willing to tolerate.

1. Reports ahead of the briefing by Sky News and The Daily Telegraph say the Commission and the government will confirm the Gambling Review’s framework and schedule for the binding application of financial risk assessments. In other words, this is the point where a long-running policy discussion turns into an operating rulebook.
2. The proposed model uses what the regulator calls “light checks” for lower-risk cases. Customers losing more than £125 over 30 days or £500 in a year would face lower-tier checks using publicly available information, such as bankruptcy records. Customers losing more than £1,000 within 24 hours or £2,000 over 90 days would trigger enhanced risk assessments using credit reference data to look for signs of serious financial distress.
3. The UKGC says the aim is to keep the process largely frictionless. The target remains that around 3% of accounts are affected, 97% of checks are completed automatically, and very few customers need further review. That is the number operators will be watching, because the commercial impact depends less on the policy name than on how often it interrupts a payment flow.
4. The update follows months of uncertainty. Throughout 2025, the Commission ran two FRA pilot phases, first testing a £500 loss threshold in February and then lowering it to £150 in August in a “live environment” to see whether the checks could be introduced with minimal friction for consumers and operators.
5. Those pilots did not settle the question. In May, the Commission paused the schedule for FRA application, citing concerns raised by operators, racing bodies and other stakeholders, and said the framework needed further evaluation before implementation. Stakeholders have kept pressing on the same point: whether the thresholds are proportionate, evidence-based and operationally feasible, especially if extra friction pushes customers toward the black market.

British horse racing has been the loudest opponent of the policy, arguing that additional financial checks could deter legitimate bettors, reduce betting turnover and add pressure to the sport’s funding model. The Commission, for its part, has kept moving the Gambling Review’s White Paper reforms forward despite major senior departures, including former Chief Executive Andrew Rhodes and Executive Director of Policy and Research Tim Miller.