Gambling Commission (GC) executive director Tim Miller has admitted it was “disappointing” that more operators chose not to take part in the pilot scheme around financial risk assessments.
Speaking at the Ethical Gambling Forum in Leeds on Tuesday, 28 April, Miller said the opportunity to participate in the pilot would have allowed operators to “help shape what it could look like”.
The pilot began in September 2024 and concluded in April 2025. It involved a handful of the UK’s largest operators in a closed loop system.
During a Q&A session after his keynote speech, Miller said: “When we first went ahead with the pilot, we offered it to all operators. There was a group that was required to be a part of it, but we did open [it] up to all operators and actually had no takers at the time.
“We’re not proposing to run another pilot and open that up again. I think there was the opportunity for a wide range of operators to help shape that. This isn’t to attack people [but] I think it was disappointing more people didn’t take up that opportunity.
“There was an opportunity to shape what it could look like. I think the next steps would be considering what, if anything, it would look like to implement across the board.”
Earlier this month, the GC acknowledged it was “mindful of risk” with implementing the requirements across the licensed sector too quickly.
The pilot scheme, the regulator said, showed that one in 1,000 customers would face a non-frictionless financial risk check under the policy.
The system involves operators relying on credit reference agencies to cross-reference data points.
The British Horseracing Authority has led calls of late for a renewed push against the implementation of the checks, including penning an open letter to the government at the start of April.
The letter claimed the rollout of financial risk assessments would be a “grave misjudgement” and “do lasting damage” to the racing industry.
The GC’s director of major policy projects and evaluation, Helen Rhodes, wrote in a blog post earlier this month that there had been “ill-informed or inaccurate” commentary around the checks.
Those opposed to assessing whether or not a punter can afford to place a bet have argued the processes are driving some to the black market.
The GC has insisted it has not required operators to carry out affordability checks before the deployment of the scheme in full.
However, an abundance of anecdotal evidence suggests customers are being asked to provide documents like bank statements and payslips. It has been suggested this is because operators are fearful of being hit with sizeable fines for allowing people to gamble beyond their means.
Miller continued: “There are operators that will look at the consumer’s affordability. That’s nothing to do with this pilot.
“Now, being quite honest, I think sometimes that expression is used because affordability is a particularly contentious point, and it’s used to generate some reaction, but just because you call it an affordability check doesn’t make it so.
“We want to be really clear: if we decide to go ahead with what’s being piloted, no consumer will have their affordability assessed. There is no element of affordability in it, and that’s why I make the point in speech.”
During his address, Miller said there were “misconceptions running wild” around affordability checks.
In his pre-prepared remarks, Miller noted: “Let’s be really clear, the proposed thresholds for an assessment are not operating as limits or caps on customer spend. They’re not affordability checks by another name.
“The checks we’ve been piloting will not even attempt to make an assessment of what each customer can afford to gamble and lastly, but perhaps most importantly, there would be no need to require document checks following a financial risk assessment.”
With additional reporting from Nosa Omoigui.
The post More operators not joining financial risk check pilot was “disappointing”, says GC chief first appeared on EGR Intel.
Executive director Tim Miller reiterates scheme is “not affordability checks by another name” and that customers wouldn’t be required to submit financial documents
The post More operators not joining financial risk check pilot was “disappointing”, says GC chief first appeared on EGR Intel.