UK Gambling Affordability Measures Delayed as Commission Reviews Evidence

(AsiaGameHub) –   The Gambling Commission has told SBC News that it hasn’t yet decided whether to move forward with Financial Risk Assessments (FRAs).

A meeting took place today (21 May), where the regulator looked at the next steps for launching FRAs — the more comprehensive of the two affordability measures outlined in the Gambling Act review White Paper.

Before the meeting, there was a flurry of last-minute lobbying, as some industry stakeholders and policymakers viewed 21 May as a sort of ‘deadline day’ — one where FRAs would be finalized and an implementation plan announced.

However, both bettors and operators will need to wait to learn the Gambling Commission’s decision, as the board “has not yet fully finished evaluating” the “wide-ranging evidence” submitted.

Gambling Commission weighs next steps

“The Gambling Commission Board convened to discuss next steps regarding Financial Risk Assessments,” a regulator spokesperson told SBC News this afternoon.

“We received a large body of evidence but haven’t yet fully reviewed it. We’ll share more information when the time is right.”

There has been a surge of debate around FRAs, with the industry — and other critics in horse racing and political circles — often referring to them as ‘affordability checks’.

FRAs are the stricter measure put forward in the April 2023 Gambling Act review White Paper, meant to apply when customers lose significant sums of money quickly.

The less strict affordability check, the Financial Vulnerability Check, has been active since February last year. Vulnerability Checks initially had a threshold of a £500 net deposit over a rolling 30-day period, but this was lowered to £150 in August 2025.

Numerous figures have voiced opposition to implementing FRAs, including gambling reform advocate James Noyes, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, broadcaster Matt Chapman, and several MPs who wrote a letter to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy calling for a pause.

On Monday, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) informed SBC News that it felt it had ‘little option’ but to launch a legal challenge against the full rollout of the checks.

It’s worth noting that the Commission never guaranteed it would implement FRAs after today’s meeting. In a same-day statement to SBC, the Commission confirmed that “no decisions have been made yet”.

“If we do implement FRAs in the future, it will be done after careful consideration, based on evidence, and rolled out in a balanced and appropriate manner,” a spokesperson stated then.

The regulator also insists that neither the current Vulnerability Checks nor the upcoming FRAs will affect most bettors, as Policy Director Ian Angus emphasized in a speech this week.

Update – the BGC has released the following statement in reaction to the Commission’s decision:

“We’re pleased the Gambling Commission has confirmed it’s still reviewing the extensive evidence submitted about Financial Risk Assessments.

“This is a key and positive step in the process, and shows that the evidence from industry, stakeholders, and experts merits thorough review.

“But there’s still more work to do to ensure any future proposals are truly frictionless, proportionate, and don’t push customers toward the expanding unregulated gambling black market.

“We’re looking forward to ongoing discussions with the Commission in the coming weeks.”