UK Betting Industry Warns Affordability Checks Will Push Punters to Black Market

A new poll commissioned by the Betting and Gaming Council has found that 65% of UK bettors would refuse to hand over personal financial documents like bank statements and payslips to continue gambling, intensifying industry warnings that proposed affordability checks will drive customers toward unregulated operators.

Key Takeaways:

The findings, published on April 8, land as the UK Gambling Commission prepares to sign off on its financial risk assessment framework next month, with full operator compliance expected by the third quarter of the year. The checks are the most contentious element of the 2023 Gambling Act Review White Paper, which set out the government’s plan to overhaul gambling regulation for the first time in nearly two decades.

Pilot data published by the Gambling Commission indicates that approximately 95 percent of first-stage checks and 97 percent of second-stage checks resolve without interrupting the player experience. The BGC disputes this framing, arguing that early trials have revealed inconsistent data, unclear outcomes, and unnecessary friction for customers.

Grainne Hurst, the BGC’s chief executive, warned that forcing punters to hand over bank statements would drive customers to the illegal market, where there are no safeguards at all.

The letter referenced a 2024 petition that gathered over 100,000 signatures against the checks, triggering a Westminster Hall debate at which then-Minister Stuart Andrew said the measures would only be introduced if they were “truly frictionless.”

The BGC, which represents over 90% of the regulated UK betting industry, has consistently argued that the cumulative weight of new regulation and taxation risks accelerating consumer migration to illegal operators. The trade body estimated in March that £60 million was wagered with such entities during the Cheltenham Festival, the UK’s premier annual horse racing meeting.

According to BGC figures, the regulated sector supports 109,000 jobs, contributes £6.8 billion to the UK economy, and raises £4 billion in annual tax revenue. The British horseracing industry says it provides more than 85,000 jobs and contributes over £4 billion to the economy by itself.

Neither the Department for Culture, Media and Sport nor the Gambling Commission has publicly responded to the Yougov poll or the BHA open letter.