UKGC Defends FRAs as Racing Bodies and MPs Demand Pause
The UK Gambling Commission has defended its planned Financial Risk Assessments after criticism from racing bodies, MPs and industry groups. Ian Angus, Director of Policy at the Commission, said on 20 May 2026 that FRAs are not affordability checks and would affect only a small share of active customer accounts.
FRA Pilot Points to Limited Customer Friction
According to Angus, the pilot found that less than 3% of active customer accounts would trigger any operator action under the proposals. Of those accounts, 97% would receive a frictionless assessment. Only 0.1% of active accounts would need an assessment but fail to complete it in a frictionless way.
Angus also rejected claims that FRAs would cap customer spend. “Nor do the proposed thresholds for an assessment limit or cap customer spend,” he said at the Clarion Payment Providers Summit.
The Commission said the proposal came from the 2023 white paper and has support from both the former and current government. Angus added that the Commission Board has not yet made a final decision.
Racing and MPs Press for Ministerial Pause
Opposition has grown from the British Horseracing Authority and a cross-party group of 19 MPs. They argue that FRAs could damage horseracing betting, which they say contributes more than £4 billion to the UK economy and supports 85,000 jobs.
The MPs have asked Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy to pause the rollout until a full review assesses the economic impact and the effect on the regulated betting market.
Critics also argue that checks based on spend may miss context such as betting frequency or duration. That could create false positives for sports bettors and add pressure to licensed operators.
Illegal Market Remains the Core Risk
Angus said the Commission has received £26 million over three years to combat illegal gambling. In the last financial year, the regulator issued 741 cease-and-desist notices, referred 1,068 websites to search engines for removal and disrupted 1,134
websites through takedowns or geo-blocking.
The Commission also reported 397,527 URLs to search engines, with 266,667 removed so far. Angus said the regulator will work with government, law enforcement, operators, payment providers and other partners.
The Commission said its data from July 2024 to February 2026 does not show consistent or sustained growth in consumer use of illegal gambling. It also plans to help create the first national risk assessment for Britain’s illegal market.
Crypto and AML Also on the Agenda
Angus said the Commission prepares for the UK’s next FATF assessment and will publish an updated AML risk assessment in the near future. Operators will need to review that document and any changes it requires for their businesses.
He also said the regulator has started early talks with its Industry Forum on a possible route for crypto assets to be used more easily as a consumer payment option in licensed gambling in Great Britain.
💡TGJ Take
The FRA fight is now less about the pilot data and more about trust. The Commission has numbers that suggest limited friction, but racing and MPs are focused on the risk that customers will shift spend away from licensed operators. For operators, the key point is preparation: clean customer data at account creation could reduce the small group that fails frictionless checks. For affiliates and racing-oriented brands, the risk is commercial disruption before the policy details are settled.
