While the highly anticipated White Paper review took place over the past few years, the idea of much stricter affordability checks had cast a dark shadow over the UK gambling industry. However, last week’s publication of the Gambling Act review White Paper provided clarity on several issues, including the introduction of ‘finance risk checks’ for online gambling.
Poppleston Allen Law Firm
Various stakeholders have responded to the regulatory changes, including Poppleston Allen, the law firm that has now analysed the White Paper and found the implemented checks are not as harsh as stakeholders had initially feared. Initial checks will be conducted at losses of £125 per month and £500 per year, while enhanced checks will be triggered at single-day losses of £1,000 and £2,000 within 90 days. Nick Arron, Lead Partner in Popplestone Allen’s Betting and Gaming team, emphasised the importance of operators keeping track of these differences. Arron also mentioned while affordability checks may deter some customers, there is evidence that people are becoming accustomed to providing personal documents and understanding the reasons behind these checks. 
United Kingdom Gambling Commission
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has been strict with enforcing regulations, imposing multi-million penalties on companies like Entain and William Hill. The UKGC’s CEO, Andrew Rhodes, and Head of Policy, Ian Angus, have made it clear that this approach will continue. As a result, operators must be cautious with the financial risk checks and ensure they are fully compliant to avoid fines. Popplestone Allen reported the new £125/£500 checks would affect approximately 20% of players, with fewer than 5% impacted by the enhanced checks of £1,000/£2,000.
Trustly Payment System
Vasilije Lekovic, VP of Gaming at Trustly, noted some operators may need to update their processes or compliance systems to meet the new regulations. Nonetheless, these changes are expected to ensure fairness and transparency across the gaming industry. Prioritising player safety provides long-term benefits, as Open Banking enables efficient and accurate affordability checks without intruding on the user experience. Lekovic emphasized this point when discussing the role of Open Banking in promoting player safety. By providing real-time financial data, Open Banking makes it easy for operators to conduct checks seamlessly and ensure a secure environment for their users. Trustly is committed to promoting a safer and more responsible gambling market by developing an AIS Open Banking product for the UK market that helps operators meet the requirements laid out in the White Paper. The company is devoted to collaborating with operators and regulators to achieve this goal.