The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has appointed Kane Purdy as its new Chair, with the council rolling out its new strategy to leadership.The BGC has revealed that its...
BGC to legally challenge UKGC over affordability checks
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has threatened to launch legal action against the UK Gambling Commission in response to the regulator’s proposal to introduce financial risk assessments.
The BGC, which includes operators like Flutter, Entain, and bet365, has revealed that it plans to file for a judicial review if the UKGC decides to move forward with the proposal, as the council believes that, in the case of its approval, one in five players would be obligated to provide financial information.
On the other hand, the commission has stressed that the assessments would mostly rely on credit reference and not personal financial documents, with initial findings showing that just 3% of players would be assessed, with the remaining 97% of checks being completed without the involvement of players.
To express the BGC’s concern, CEO Grainne Hurst has written a letter to the UKGC’s Chair Charles Counsell, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, UKGC CEO Sarah Gardner, and Gambling Minister Baroness Twycross.
Hurst stated in the letter:
“The evidence from the pilot is that financial risk assessments are not fit for purpose. Accordingly, the BGC and its members would have to consider all available options should the Gambling Commission implement them without taking into account those findings. If FRAs are not effective and would result in more customers playing with illegal operators to evade checks, they should not be implemented.”
A spokesperson from the UKGC responded:
“We reiterate that we are continuing to work on financial risk assessments, with one of the key focuses being on removing unnecessary friction for consumers. If introduced, the checks would apply only to a small proportion of the highest-spending accounts and would be frictionless for the vast majority of those assessed.”
The UKGC is set to hold a board meeting on May 21, 2026, during which the FRAs will be discussed, and the board members will evaluate the results of the pilot scheme.
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