The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) published the results of a survey conducted by YouGov that highlights the massive rejection by users of the financial solvency checks proposed by the Gambling Commission. The study revealed that 65% of respondents would refuse to provide personal financial documents, such as bank statements or payslips, if they were required to continue betting with licensed operators.
Read more US: CFTC escalates conflict with states over control of prediction markets
The findings are not isolated. A previous consultation by the Gambling Commission, obtained by the BGC through a freedom of information request, yielded even more striking results: 77% of the more than 12,000 respondents opposed financial risk checks, and only 14% of frequent bettors expressed a willingness to share such information with operators.
What are solvency checks and why do they generate so much resistance
Financial risk checks are verification mechanisms that the Gambling Commission seeks to impose on regulated operators to detect players who might be betting beyond their actual economic means. In practice, they would imply that customers must prove their financial situation through bank documents, payslips, or other proof of income before reaching certain spending thresholds.
The Commission launched a pilot version of this system in the summer of 2024, based on players’ monthly net deposits, which has already generated controversy. The proposal to expand it with documentary verifications has raised tension to the maximum. Initial tests of the procedures identified specific problems: inconsistent data, ambiguous results for customers, and a significantly more complicated user experience.
The industry warns: customers will migrate to the illegal market
For the BGC, the survey data points to a direct and dangerous consequence: if documentary checks become mandatory, a significant proportion of bettors could abandon regulated operators and take refuge in illegal platforms, where no consumer protections of any kind exist.
The BGC estimates that during the Cheltenham Festival alone, the equivalent of approximately 75 million dollars was wagered with unregulated operators, a figure that illustrates the size and vitality of the black market that could grow if the measures generate additional friction for conventional bettors.
Read more France pressures the gambling industry: ANJ demands concrete results against gambling addiction
Horse racing also joins the pressure
Resistance to the tightening of checks does not come solely from betting operators. The British Horseracing Authority joined the controversy with an open letter addressed to the Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, in which it warned that excessively strict financial risk checks could have unintended consequences for the sport and its funding model.
Horse racing in the United Kingdom relies heavily on revenue generated by legal betting. An exodus of bettors to unregulated platforms or, directly, a reduction in activity from those who prefer not to undergo intrusive checks, would directly impact the funds that support the equestrian sector. The letter described the proposal as “unprecedented state intrusion into people’s private lives.”
The parliamentary precedent: the promise of “frictionless” checks
The magnitude of the rejection is not new. In 2024, more than 100,000 people signed a petition against solvency checks, forcing a formal debate in Westminster Hall. On that occasion, then-minister Stuart Andrew publicly committed that checks would only be introduced if they were “truly frictionless” for users.
The BGC maintains that current data shows this standard is not being met. For the organization, the survey numbers send an unequivocal message: the majority of bettors are not willing to tolerate a level of financial intrusion that, in any other consumer context, would be unacceptable. The debate on how to protect vulnerable players without alienating the millions who bet responsibly remains open, and the Gambling Commission’s final decision could redefine the British regulated market for years.
Read more Macao defies the market: solid revenues contrast with falling shares in 2026
