Government Says It Has Listened Carefully During Development of Interim Solution to Affordability Checks

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has announced an interim solution to reduce the number of checks undergone by customers while a new ‘frictionless’ system of checks is developed. The government’s gambling white paper proposed two tiers of affordability checks on punters, with the second enhanced level involving detailed checks on a customer’s finances triggered by a net loss of £1,000 in 24 hours, or £2,000 within 90 days. An industry-led code is being developed to apply during the interim period before the new system is introduced, aiming to mitigate the current “onerous, ad hoc and inconsistent” checks applied by operators. The Gambling Commission will soon publish its response to a public consultation on these checks, and the interim solution will be outlined in due course.

Following the publication of the Gambling Commission’s response, a four-to-six month pilot of the new frictionless system of enhanced checks is scheduled to take place. However, concerns have been raised about potential interference from a speculated general election this autumn, particularly regarding the implementation of the pilot. Laurence Robertson MP, along with other MPs, is seeking a meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to discuss affordability checks and has suggested the government should reconsider the timing of the pilot in light of the potential general election. Robertson expressed confusion about the government’s approach, given the timing and potential election.