UK Operators Granted More Time to Introduce Deposit Limit Measures

The Gambling Commission has granted operators in Great Britain more time to prepare for new deposit limit requirements, pushing the deadline back by three months to Wednesday, 30 September.

Last October, the regulator rolled out the first phase of its Remote Gambling and Software Technical Standards (RTS) for financial limits, leading to the requirement for operators to prompt new customers to set a financial limit before they make their first deposit.

The second phase had been expected to be introduced by 30 June, but the implementation period has been pushed back following stakeholder feedback.

What do operators have to do?

Between now and the end of September, operators must implement a number of new measures regarding deposit limits. This includes the offering of gross deposit limits to customers, and in some cases, the re-introduction of gross deposit limits to the options available to players.

Gross deposit limits will have to be named ‘deposit limits’, and they must be offered with at least equal prominence as other types of financial limit.

Operators had already implemented a number of changes in this area by the end of last October. On top of the requirement to prompt new customers to set financial limits, operators also must remind players to review their account and transaction information every six months to help them keep control of their gambling spend.

Financial limits must be offered using free text and at the account level to help players set meaningful limits. In addition, financial limit setting facilities must be provided via a direct link on the operator’s homepage and deposit pages, while also minimising the number of clicks to reach these pages.

Financial limits have to be offered as a default choice, and players who choose to opt out will need to confirm if they do not want to set a limit.

FRAs and affordability checks

These new measures are being put into place at a time where there is a significant amount of focus on protecting players, with debates surfacing around the potential implementation of financial risk assessments (FRAs) and affordability checks.

Last week, the Commission delayed a decision on whether to implement FRAs, with the Commission’s board deciding more time is needed to complete its assessment on the matter.

FRAs have been proposed as a means of identifying high-spending remote gamblers who may be in financial difficulties. Earlier this month, the Commission’s Director of Policy Ian Angus wished to stress how FRAs differ from the separately proposed affordability checks.

With regards to FRAs, the Commission has outlined operators would not be required to assess a player’s income or how much an individual could afford to gamble.

Affordability checks were proposed as part of the government’s 2023 Gambling White Paper. Light touch vulnerability checks were initially triggered when a player spent £500 in a month as part of a trial that began in August 2024, and from February 28, 2025, this decreased to £150 spend in a month; the final stage of the rollout of affordability checks is yet to be announced.

Facing opposition

Industry trade body the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has been vocal in its opposition to both FRAs and affordability checks. BGC Chief Executive Grainne Hurst said in a statement:

“The biggest issue is what happens after a customer is flagged.

“If an assessment leads to intrusive follow-up questions, requests for personal financial documents and account restrictions, then the customer experience will be severely disrupted.”