YouGov Poll Shows Opposition to Affordability Checks From Players

Close to two thirds of bettors would be unwilling to hand over personal documents to operators, ahead of the next stage of affordability checks being introduced, data from YouGov has found.

YouGov’s poll, commissioned by industry trade body the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), showed 65% of betting customers are not willing to provide documents such as bank statements to prove their affordability. However, the BGC did not provide a link to the poll itself and did not reveal the number of respondents that were polled.

The BGC also referenced an earlier study released by regulator the Gambling Commission in May 2024 off the back of a Freedom of Information request, which was based on more than 12,000 respondents, and showed 77% of people disagreed with the idea of gambling businesses being required to assess if gambling is affordable.

The lowdown on affordability checks

Affordability checks were proposed as part of the government’s 2023 White Paper, which suggested a number of gambling regulatory reforms. 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.

While the Commission has not yet signed off on the final implementation of financial risk assessments, the British Horeseracing Authority (BHA) understands the Commission is set to sign off on the pilot in May.

Grainne Hurst, Chief Executive of the BGC, said:

“This poll sends a clear message from punters. A majority (65%) are unwilling to provide this kind of sensitive financial information, and the reality is that number could be even higher when these checks are rolled out in practice.

“These proposals will push customers away from the regulated sector and towards the harmful, illegal black market, undermining the very protections these checks are supposed to deliver. The overwhelming majority of customers bet safely and within their means. We should be focusing on protecting the vulnerable, not placing unnecessary hurdles in front of millions of ordinary punters.”

BHA calls for delay

Earlier this week, the BHA wrote an open letter to Lisa Nandy MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, requesting for her to pause the implementation of affordability checks next month.

The letter, which was signed by 408 figures from across the sport, read:

“For more than 350 years our sport has enjoyed a uniquely interdependent relationship with betting. A day at the races and a flutter on the horses is something that is deeply embedded in the British way of life. But this cultural, social and economic institution is now at risk if the decision to impose affordability checks for even low levels of betting goes ahead.

“These proposals would do lasting damage to a major British industry, which provides more than 85,000 jobs, contributes more than £4 billion to the country’s economy and is a leader on the world stage. It is not too late for you to reconsider the unintended consequences of your predecessor’s policies and ‘Save Our Bets’ to secure British horseracing’s future.”

It was not made clear by the BHA the extent to which it would like for the implementation of the affordability checks to be paused, and the wording of the letter suggested the BHA would rather the scheme be scrapped entirely.