AN ARCHITECT of the Government’s draconian gambling checks says Labour should ditch them for fear of driving punters to the black market.
Tory MP Nigel Huddleston has called on the Gambling Commission to “think again” on the financial checks in the wake of a pilot scheme that hasn’t worked.
He said his vision was for the bank checks to be “frictionless” but that there was now clear evidence of them being too invasive.
Under new laws betters will be subjected to mortgage-style financial audits when having a flutter on horse racing, sports matches or online bingo.
The Gambling Commission began a trial in 2024 of enhanced checks on those spending £1,000 within a 24-hour window or £2,000 within 90 days, the equivalent of £22 a day.
But the crackdown has raised industry fears of an exodus to unlicensed gambling that would wipe £200million off Treasury tax revenues.
Part of the concern is that the checks are not “frictionless” as hoped but would require bookies to demand payslips from customers to prove they can afford a bet.
Mr Huddleston told the Sun: “The previous Conservative Government were absolutely clear that affordability checks should only proceed if they were truly frictionless.
“The feedback from consumers, industry and horseracing is that the pilot scheme is not working”.
He raised concerns that the checks could push people into the black market, and urged the Gambling Commission to “think again”.
The Sun’s Save Our Bets campaign has been highlighting the devastating effect on the sector – and those who rely on it – from Labour’s tax and red tape whack.
A Gambling Commission spokesperson said: “We are continuing to work on financial risk assessments which would be targeted at identifying and supporting customers who are in current financial difficulties.
“A key focus of our work is on removing friction for consumers such as document checks. If introduced, these assessments would come into effect in a careful and managed manner and we can confirm it would not be as soon as May 2026.”
