Leading gambling reform campaigner calls for suspension of controversial affordability checks

Dr James Noyce, one of the early and leading proponents of affordable checks for online gamblers, has joined calls for Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy to instruct the Gambling Commission to suspend the implementation of the checks “pending proper evaluation and scrutiny” of a pilot scheme to assess how the checks would work in practice.

Mr Noyes’ interference in the long-running debate over affordable checks was revealed in an open letter sent to Mr Nandy on Monday. This echoes similar calls for the process to be halted by a number of industry executives, who are concerned that if bettors refuse to provide financial information to gambling operators and instead turn to the black market, it could have a disproportionate impact on horse racing bettors and cost the industry tens of millions of pounds in revenue.

Noyce said in the letter that while affordable checks were “a worthy idea in principle” when first proposed in 2020, the request for checks would “result in the creation of a Gambling Ombudsman to ensure the proper treatment of consumer remedies and rights.” It said the checks were done on the basis that they were “non-intrusive” and “do not prevent the majority of gamblers from engaging in legitimate activities that involve inherent risks, economic agency, and rights, while preventing incidents of serious harm.” money”.

Mr Noyce, a senior research fellow at think tank Social Market Foundation (SMF), advocated the introduction of affordable checks in reports published in 2020 and 2021, and many of his proposals were included in the government’s White Paper on Gambling Reform, published in April 2023.

The Gambling Commission launched a pilot study in September 2024, dubbed the ‘Financial Risk Assessment’, to assess the potential for gambling-related harm and to highlight how ‘frictionless’ the checks are – a background check that does not require customers to provide financial information in order to continue betting.

The European Commission has not yet published a final report on the pilot, nor has it issued any updates on its progress since spring 2025. Numerous media reports in recent weeks have suggested that the commission could approve the introduction of the checks at its meeting next month.

In his letter, Noyce said he was “deeply concerned about the lack of transparency” surrounding the checks and said there were “growing reports that the trial plans include inconsistent data, opaque results, and unnecessary friction.” He is also “particularly alarmed by reports that the checks will be an unnecessary burden on horse racing bettors and a detriment to the sport.”

According to Noyce, the government has a “duty to listen to what it says.” [British Horseracing Authority’s] We need to sound the alarm and act accordingly to protect this important part of Britain’s cultural and social life. ”

Mr Noyes is one of Britain’s most prominent gambling reform advocates, and the strength of his intervention was unexpected and timely, as Mr Nandy weighs whether to step in and halt the impending test.

The final paragraph of his letter concludes: “The current state of financial risk testing poses serious problems and the Government should address this issue before further policy development. I am therefore calling on the Government to heed the BHA’s warning and suspend these tests pending full assessment and scrutiny.”

A Gambling Commission spokesperson said in a statement on Monday that the regulator “remains committed to financial risk assessments with one of our key focuses being to remove friction for consumers.”

The statement added: “Once introduced, consumers will no longer need to provide documentation to complete the check. As with any regulatory measure, we will consider the potential impact on consumers and businesses before making decisions on financial risk assessments, including how they will work in practice if introduced.”