Affordability & financial-risk checks
Following the 2023 Gambling Act Review White Paper, Great Britain is replacing inconsistent operator 'affordability' checks with a standardised two-tier system. A light-touch financial vulnerability check is already live, using public-record data to spot customers in acute difficulty. A separate 'Financial Risk Assessment' for very high spenders, tested in a data-only pilot and confirmed for staged rollout in July 2026, uses credit-reference-agency data and is designed to be frictionless (no documents) for around 97% of flagged customers. The Commission deliberately measures spend as net deposits (deposits minus withdrawals), not gross stakes.
Light-touch financial vulnerability check is LIVE: triggered at more than £150 net deposits in a rolling 30-day period since 28 February 2025 (it launched higher, at £500, on 30 August 2024).
The light-touch check uses only public-record data (bankruptcy orders, County Court Judgments, IVAs, Debt Relief Orders); it does not verify income, is frictionless, and a passed check is valid for 12 months.
The enhanced 'Financial Risk Assessment' was tested in a non-live pilot (30 August 2024 to 31 March 2025) using credit-reference data; the Commission reported roughly 97% of assessments could be completed frictionlessly.
On 7 July 2026 the Commission confirmed a STAGED rollout of Financial Risk Assessments; exact start dates are to be confirmed in a formal consultation response, with largest operators first.
Stage 1 thresholds: more than £5,000 net deposits in a rolling 24 hours (£2,500 for under-25s) - a spend pattern the Commission says is exceeded by under 0.5% of customers.
Final-stage thresholds (once fully implemented): more than £1,000 net deposits in 24 hours OR more than £3,000 in a rolling 90 days (£750 / £2,000 for under-25s); interim stages to be set later.
Assessments are frictionless and document-free for most, carried out by credit reference agencies without affecting the customer's credit score; the vast majority of accounts are never assessed.
Every GB-licensed online operator must already run the light-touch vulnerability check at the £150 net-deposit trigger and act proportionately on any risk flag. As the staged Financial Risk Assessment regime switches on, operators (largest first) must additionally submit high-spending customers above the stage thresholds for a frictionless credit-reference check. During early implementation the Commission has said it will not take enforcement action for failing to act on an assessment, though all other LCCP duties still apply.
Reference, not advice. A teaching summary of the regulation — confirm current requirements against the primary regulator.