Gambling Commission States FRAs Do Not Function as Affordability Checks

(AsiaGameHub) –   The UK Gambling Commission has pushed back against criticism directed at financial risk assessments, stating that these checks are more limited in scope than critics have asserted.

Good to Know

• Ian Angus stated that FRAs will not impose limits on gambling spending.
• Data from the pilot revealed that fewer than 3% of active accounts would prompt action from operators.
• The Commission Board has not yet reached a final ruling on the matter.

Commission Clarifies FRAs Are Not Spend Caps

Addressing attendees at the Clarion Payment Providers Summit held in London on May 20, the Commission’s policy director Ian Angus noted that discussions surrounding financial risk assessments have contained “ill-informed or inaccurate content.”

He made a clear distinction between FRAs and affordability checks, a difference that has become a core point of debate in the UK’s gambling reform discussions.

Angus stated:

“Financial risk assessments are not affordability checks under a different name. The pilot checks we have been running will not even attempt to evaluate how much each individual customer can afford to spend on gambling. The proposed thresholds for triggering an assessment also do not restrict or cap customer spend.”

The Commission notes that FRAs are designed to spot indicators of financial hardship, rather than dictate how much each gambler is allowed to lose. This framework originated from the 2023 White Paper, and has received backing from both Conservative and Labour administrations.

Findings from the pilot serve as the regulator’s primary line of defence. Angus said fewer than 3% of active customer accounts would require any form of operator action. Within that small group, 97% would undergo a seamless assessment process, higher than the 80% target outlined in the White Paper.

Just 0.1% of active accounts, or one out of every 1,000, would be unable to complete the check seamlessly. Angus added that this figure could drop further if operators properly verify customer information at the point of account opening.

He added:

“This is a significant improvement on the projections the government made when it published the White Paper.”

Politically Sensitive

Even with these positive pilot findings, FRAs remain politically sensitive. Betting operators, racing industry stakeholders and opposition politicians have argued that the checks may disrupt normal betting activity and push some customers toward unlicensed gambling sites.

Angus stopped short of confirming that implementation of FRAs is guaranteed.

“No one should take these remarks to mean we have already pre-determined to roll out FRAs — only our Board has the authority to make that decision. But the Commission Board will be reviewing this matter very shortly.”

He also noted that if FRAs go ahead, operators will not be permitted to request additional documents from customers after a financial risk assessment is complete.

“If implemented, FRAs will allow us to issue clear guidance to operators stating that they should not require consumers to submit paperwork to assess financial risk once an FRA has been carried out.”

The regulator also used the speech to share updates on its work tackling illegal gambling. Backed by £26 million in new government funding allocated for the 2026–2027 period, the Commission said it issued 741 cease-and-desist orders in the last financial year, reported 397,527 URLs to search engines, secured 266,667 content removals, and disrupted 1,134 websites via takedown actions or geo-blocking.

The Commission has also joined the Illegal Gambling Taskforce operated by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The group will develop the first national risk assessment of Britain’s unlicensed gambling market.

Angus also signaled openness to payments innovation in the sector. He invited operators and payment providers to submit proposals that align with existing regulations, and confirmed early discussions are underway about whether crypto assets could eventually be accepted as a consumer payment method for licensed gambling in Great Britain.