Financial risk checks for individuals who gamble (also known as affordability checks) are increasingly used to promote safer play and protect people who gamble. These checks assess whether individuals are gambling within their financial means, helping to prevent harm from at-risk gambling behaviours such as chasing losses, gambling preoccupation, increasing stake sizes, and spending beyond one’s budget.

Financial risk checks are becoming more widely adopted by operators as part of their social responsibility and consumer protection measures. Typically, a financial risk check reviews an individual’s financial situation, including spending, gambling activity, and publicly available data like credit reports and other financial records. This information allows operators to offer appropriate measures, such as personalized deposit limits, spending thresholds, or self-exclusion options, to support safer play. It has been recommended that implementation include clear and transparent communication with individuals about the purpose of the checks, how personal data is used, and how any limits or interventions will be applied.

Financial risk checks demonstrate a commitment to social responsibility by protecting both individuals and operators from financial and reputational risks, while also supporting safer gambling practices. When combined with other support measures, such as self-assessment tools and access to help services, financial risk checks can help ensure gambling remains a safe form of entertainment.

Recently published gambling research

Below is a selection of resources that may help inform regulatory action on financial risk checks. Please note that resources are selected based on relevance to the topic without formal assessment of quality, and inclusion does not imply endorsement.

• A critical analysis of affordability checks proposed in Great Britain: Digital surveillance and effects on vulnerable groups
• An examination of gambling behaviour and gambling-related harm using self-report and open banking data
• AI and Player Risk Identification and Response Research Report
• The implications of affordability checks for addressing online gambling harm
• Adopting an affordability approach to responsible gambling and harm reduction

Evidence-informed action

Regulators can consider the following examples when developing regulations on financial risk checks.

Great Britain

The UK Gambling Commission has implemented financial vulnerability checks tied to net deposit thresholds. From August 2024, operators have been required to conduct checks when a customer reaches £500 net deposits in a rolling 30-day period, with the threshold lowered to £150 effective February 2025. The checks use public information and are designed to catch signs of financial distress early, without affecting credit scores. The Commission also piloted a frictionless financial risk assessment that sees 95 % of checks completed seamlessly behind the scenes.

• Financial risk assessments pilot – update on Stage two
• 4.4 – Financial vulnerability check

Netherlands

The Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has introduced duty-of-care measures, including automatic deposit limits and financial risk checks when individuals exceed them. From October 2024, the monthly deposit threshold is €700 for individuals aged 25 and over, and €300 for those aged 18–24. When these limits are reached, operators must conduct financial risk checks to confirm whether the individual can afford continued play. Operators are also required to block further deposits until a satisfactory assessment is completed.

• KSA flags “bad practices” in deposit limit affordability checks 
• Affordability Policy Unveiled In The Netherlands