British Gambling Commission Promises Disclosure of Full Financial Risk Assessment Reports
The UK Gambling Commission has announced that it will publish the complete evidence, dataset, and methodology that underpin its decision to implement Financial Risk Assessments (FRAs). The regulator indicated that this information will be made available alongside its consultation response scheduled for this autumn.
In a response to inquiries from the cross-party Culture, Media and Sport Committee earlier this month, Sarah Gardner, the acting chief executive of the Gambling Commission, confirmed the commitment to transparency. She stated that the full evidence base supporting the introduction of FRAs will be published later this year.
FRAs are designed as checks to determine whether a customer’s gambling activities pose a financial risk. The move has faced some criticism from parts of the gambling industry, which argue that the regulator’s phased rollout of the policy occurred before the comprehensive evidence was publicly available.
Gardner explained to the Committee that the material will be released alongside the consultation response in the autumn. She clarified that the evidence was not published simultaneously with the initial decision due to the timing of the implementation process. She added that the regulator has been engaging in discussions with industry representatives and credit reference agencies throughout the summer. These discussions aim to inform the consultation process and shape the practical application of the checks.
Sarah Gardner, Acting Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission, outlined: “We plan to issue the consultation response in the Autumn which will set out this information, consistent with our usual practice of explaining our decisions in full. The reason, in this case, why we did not publish the consultation response when we announced a decision to proceed relates to the timetable for implementation. We think it is important to ensure, in relation to decisions on the way FRAs will be implemented, that our consultation response is informed by discussions with stakeholders and particularly by discussions with the implementation groups that we are currently establishing.”
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The policy has attracted opposition from sectors within British racing, notably the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). Industry stakeholders worry that the new checks could discourage VIP bettors, who are considered a vital revenue source for the sport. This concern coincides with ongoing financial pressures faced by horse racing, partly due to recent UK tax reforms affecting betting companies supporting the industry. Additionally, some industry representatives have critiqued the regulator’s communication approach during the decision-making process.
Since the implementation groups are exclusively composed of organizations directly involved in conducting FRAs, representatives from horse racing will not sit on these forums. Instead, Gardner explained that the Gambling Commission will hold separate meetings with racing stakeholders. She added that the BHA has already agreed to meet with the regulator to discuss FRAs further. Gardner also emphasized the ongoing relationship between betting and racing, highlighting shared concerns around integrity and illegal gambling.
Sarah Gardner concluded: “Recognising the symbiotic relationship between racing and betting, and our shared interests on a range of issues such as integrity and tackling illegal gambling, we remain committed to constructive engagement with racing stakeholders.” UK Financial Risk
