UK Gambling Rules Tighten on High-Spenders' Financial Risk

15 October 2026

The UK Gambling Commission has begun consultations on new financial vulnerability checks for online operators, proposing a two-track system to identify and support customers at risk of gambling-related financial harm. In a blog post published on 7 September 2023, the Commission clarified the distinction between different types of checks it is considering.

The consultation outlines a system of light-touch financial vulnerability checks for customers who incur £125 net loss in a rolling 30-day period or £500 in a rolling 365-day period. Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission, explained in the blog post that these checks are not "affordability checks" in the strict sense, but rather an early-stage filter to assess a customer's financial risk. The blog post calls this a "more targeted approach to identifying financial risk and difficulties."

Customers who exceed a higher spend threshold would then be subject to a more detailed financial risk assessment. Under the proposed rules, this would apply to those who incur losses of more than £1,000 within 24 hours, or £2,000 within 90 days. For customers aged 18-24, the lower thresholds of £500 in 24 hours or £1,000 in 90 days would apply. The Commission aims to introduce these assessments after a pilot program to test their effectiveness and impact on customer experience.

The Commission emphasized that the proposed checks are not intended to limit or cap customer spending, but rather to inform operators and help them get customers the support they need. Rhodes wrote that "the intention is that these proposals will identify and support those most at risk, while causing the minimum disruption to the large majority of low and moderate spending customers."

What Online Operators Should Know

The new checks are part of ongoing work by the Gambling Commission to improve the protection of customers, particularly those who are financially vulnerable. The Commission first announced plans to consult on affordability and financial vulnerability checks in its Gambling Act review white paper, published on 7 July 2023.

In a Freedom of Information response published in the same month, the Commission explained that the checks are designed to be as frictionless as possible for the vast majority of customers. This is achieved by first using publicly available data for an initial assessment, with only a small minority of customers being asked to provide additional information such as payslips or bank statements.

On 7 September 2023, the Commission confirmed that financial vulnerability checks are live and financial risk assessments are being piloted. The sea-change will happen in phases, with financial vulnerability checks originally set to come in with the biggest threshold at £500 for a rolling 30-day period, starting in August 2024. At that stage, the check would include a change to refer customers who appear vulnerable to a manager or dedicated customer support.

Then, in February 2025, a further lowering of that threshold will take place, to a minimum of £150 in a rolling 30-day period. At that stage the Commission adds that it will decide whether the pilot scheme for financial risk assessments is worth continuing, including checking customers against credit reference agency data.