Parliament's culture committee writes to Gambling Commission over affordability checks

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The Culture, Media and Sport Committee has written to the Gambling Commission to ask about its plan to introduce affordability checks, including the potential lack of input from racing into their implementation.

The industry regulator this week finally gave the go-ahead for the introduction of the controversial checks on punters, also known as financial risk assessments, which have been opposed by British racing and bookmakers.

BHA chief executive Brant Dunshea said this week he was "hugely disappointed" by the decision, voiced concern that all the evidence used to make it had not been published, and called on the commission to significantly improve its communication with stakeholders.

The letter asked five questions of the commission's acting chief executive Sarah Gardner, covering the evidence base and methodology for the decision, its assessment of the impact of the checks on both consumers and the industry, and also its level of engagement with stakeholders.

The commission is setting up implementation groups to work on the introduction of the checks and the letter asked who would be on them and how that would be decided, while also saying the committee had heard that racing would not be represented. The commission was asked for the rationale behind that and how racing's views would be taken into account.

Gardner was also told that the committee had been informed by some stakeholders that "engagement by the Gambling Commission throughout this process has been insufficient". 

Dame Caroline Dinenage: chairs the Culture, Media and Sport Committee

The committee's chair, Conservative MP Dame Caroline Dinenage, said: "It’s important that people at risk of gambling-related debt receive appropriate support. At the same time, any regulatory change must recognise the significant economic contribution made by the industry.

"The Gambling Commission needs to be clear about how the assessments will work and should work closely with bookmakers to ensure new obligations do not impose undue burdens on responsible businesses.”

Read these next:

Next generation of legal punters could be lost for good because of 'really dangerous' checks 

Bookies slam 'absolutely disgusting' affordability checks - and warn of customers already being lost to the black market 

Worse odds, black market risk and inconsistency - why affordability checks will be a nightmare for punters 

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