Helen Rhodes, Policy Director for the UK Gambling Commission, gave a speech at iGB Live last week, specifically focusing on the Gambling Act Review. The GAR took a look at the Gambling Act 2005 in 2020 to find if it could find a “balance of regulation” considering the 15 differences and technological advances since its inception.
Part of this was undertaking bans on certain methods of payment, like removing the ability to gamble with credit cards. Rhodes’ speech highlighted the speed at which the changes were implemented, calling it a “short period of time.” She even calls it a “steady drum beat of announcements”.
While Rhodes covered what happened in May, with more options for consumers to dictate what “direct marketing” they’re exposed to, it’s the upcoming changes that are particularly noteworthy, which includes financial risk assessments.
Gambling operators will be required to allow limits
From 31 October 2025, the gambling industry will be required to ask its customers to set a financial limit. That’ll come bundled with rules to allow for alterations to this limit at any time after this.
Rhodes also made mention of new rules intended to offer further protections over customer funds to “make effective choices about the risk that they are comfortable with.”
“The pilot findings represent a significant step forward, and our analysis phase will enable us to further explore how operators could embed assessments into their overall customer interaction approaches and how to reduce unnecessary inconsistency between credit reference agency reports.” – Helen Rhodes, UK Gambling Commission Policy Director
As part of the Financial Risk Assessments pilot, the findings showed 97% of checks could be carried out frictionlessly, exceeding expectations from the 2023 White Paper.
Customers also flagged were two to five times more likely to have debt problems compared to the general UK population.
As a result, the Commission is now analyzing how operators could embed these targeted assessments to identify high-spending customers in financial difficulty, which they see as a step forward in consumer protection without introducing blanket “affordability checks”.
New rules coming in December
From December 19, 2025, the Gambling Commission will introduce new rules that ban mixed product promotions. They will also be putting a limit on bonus wagering requirements to 10. This will limit forcing players to play through a large sum of cash for a small bonus.
The UKGC will also be making changes to the rulebook, the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice, further clearing up any misconceptions about what’s expected of operators.
Gambling Commission says transparency is next on the cards at iGB Live
On top of this, the UKGC will begin to streamline “the 12 sets of technical standards”, making it easier to understand. Machines will be altered to show when “awards below the stake size are given.” Session times and net position will also be new requirement to give players a better understanding.
Rhodes then finished up the speech by explaining that by working with the Information Commissioner’s Office, they intend to bring “the 1000 most popular UK websites into compliance”. She also added that they’re working on transparency.
Featured image: UK Gambling Commission
