More MPs call for British Gambling Commission’s financial checks to be paused
Some 19 members of Parliament have written an open letter calling for a full evaluation of the financial risk assessment pilot.
UK.- More MPs have expressed their opposition to the British Gambling Commission’s proposed Financial Risk Assessments following the comments from Sally Jameson and Louie French last week. Writing an open letter published by the Racing Post, some 19 members of Parliament have appealed to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy to suspend the planned rollout.
The MPs, whose constituencies together host 59 racecourses, warned that the risk assessments could damage Britain’s horseracing industry and the wider betting sector. They noted that horseracing contributes over £4bn annually to the UK economy, generates £300m in tax revenues, and supports around 85,000 jobs nationwide.
The letter argues that affordability checks would disrupt the long-standing relationship between racing and betting, particularly at a time when the sport faces mounting financial pressures. Citing findings from the Gambling Commission’s pilot study, which tested affordability checks using Credit Reference Agencies, the MPs warned the process would not be “frictionless” for racing bettors.
“This unprecedented state intrusion into people’s private lives has dismayed the millions of people who love horseracing,” the letter stated. “Over 100,000 signed a petition against the checks in 2024, triggering a Westminster Hall debate at which then-minister Stuart Andrew MP said that the checks would only be introduced if they were ‘truly frictionless’.”
With the Gambling Commission board reportedly expected to review the pilot’s findings shortly, the MPs urged Secretary Nandy to instruct the Commission to pause beyond the pilot phase until a full evaluation of the policy’s impact on racing, consumers, the regulated betting market, and public finances is completed.
The Gambling Commission continues to stress that the realities of its proposed assessments have been misrepresented. Last week, the regulator published an update on the results of the pilot in which it said the Financial Vulnerability Checks caused no unintended consequences for most operators.
It also suggested that some of the friction that was observed during tests was a consequence of operators misunderstanding how the checks were to be implemented. Some of the feedback from operators indicated a lack of knowledge about what is included in a check.
The regulator stressed that the Financial Vulnerability Checks may only include publicly available information about significant risk flags. Some operators were under the incorrect impression that they were receiving credit reference data.
The Gambling Commission continues to argue that fewer than 3 per cent of active bettors would face intervention steps, while 97 per cent would undergo a seamless assessment.
The MPs’ open letter also highlighted Treasury data showing a 522 per cent rise in illegal gambling between August 2021 and September 2023. They warned that intrusive checks could push more customers towards unregulated platforms, potentially costing the Treasury £300m a year and reducing horseracing turnover by £250m over five years.
The government recently announced plans for an Illegal Gambling Taskforce, focusing on online operators and the payment and advertising channels that support them.
