UKGC Executive Director Reassures Operators On Frictionless Risk Checks And Pledges National Assessment Of Illegal Markets

UKGC Executive Director Tim Miller reassures the gambling sector that financial risk checks will be frictionless and will not require players to provide bank statements.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 29, 2026, 10:48 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from iGaming Business (iGB).

Clarifying The Scope Of Financial Risk Assessments

In a significant move to address industry anxiety, UKGC Executive Director Tim Miller has hit back at criticisms that the proposed financial risk checks are a "rebrand" of intrusive affordability mandates. Speaking at the Ethical Gambling Forum in London, Miller emphasized that the Commission does not intend to force punters to hand over bank statements. Instead, the framework is designed to utilize third-party data and credit reference agencies to identify vulnerability without disrupting the consumer experience. Miller clarified that these assessments are not meant to dictate what a customer can afford, but rather to flag potential financial distress early.

Pilot Results Reveal Frictionless Potential

The Commission recently concluded a multi-phase pilot study to test the operational viability of these checks. During the first stage, which began in August 2024, checks were triggered at a £500 monthly deposit threshold, later lowered to £150 in February 2025. The data revealed that 97% of active customers underwent the assessment without any disruption or need for manual intervention—surpassing the 80% estimate originally projected in the 2023 Gambling Act Review white paper. Furthermore, only 0.1% of accounts required additional support to complete the process, suggesting that the vast majority of high-spend activity can be monitored through back-end data.

Pushback From Stakeholders And Consumer Sentiment

The clarification comes after intense pressure from the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) and various parliamentarians who argued that intrusive checks would drive bettors toward unregulated black-market sites. According to BGC data, 65% of UK bettors stated they would refuse to provide personal financial documents to continue gambling. Miller countered this by stating that the Commission intends to issue formal guidance preventing operators from seeking supplementary documents post-FRA, describing such requests as lacking a "legitimate regulatory purpose" if data-driven checks are sufficient.