Petition Wants the UK to Abandon Its Affordability Checks Plans

A new petition in the UK seeks to oppose the government’s planned implementation of financial checks. The controversial measure, outlined in the white paper, would see the government conduct affordability assessments on people who lose certain sums of money to gambling.

The proposed measure would force operators to conduct checks on anyone who loses more than £125 in a month or £500 in a year. This measure does not sit well with many British citizens who believe that the checks would intrude on their privacy, disrupting their hobby.

A petition that was just launched on petitions.parliament.uk seeks to stop this measure. Created by Nevin Truesdale, the petition seeks to show the government that people are not happy with its plans.

We want the Government to abandon the planned implementation of affordability checks for some people who want to place a bet.

Petition description

As calculated by the petition creator, the measure means that bettors will have to prove they can afford their hobby if they sustain losses as low as £1.37 per day. While the petition acknowledged the need to combat problem gambling, it describes the current form of the planned checks as “inappropriate and discriminatory.”

The petition also warned that the checks might have a devastating effect on British horseracing’s finances caused by a reduction in turnover.

The Government Claims the Checks Will Be “Frictionless”

At 10,000 signatures, the government will respond to the petition. At 100,000 signatures, the petition will be considered for debate in Parliament. For reference, the petition has 41,330 signatures as of the time of this writing.

The petition is set to run for six months, with a deadline of May 1.

In the meantime, the government continues its efforts to convince bettors that the affordability checks envisioned in the measure would be frictionless and will not cause trouble for the majority of British gamblers. Andrew Rhodes from the UKGC has been increasingly vocal in his disgruntlement toward the “deliberate efforts” to misinform the populace.

However, gambling harm experts believe that the checks may channel many more players toward the unregulated market and end up having an adverse effect.

Amid this controversy, The British Horseracing Authority, Racing TV, At The Races and the Racing Post had conducted a public survey on the measures, collecting responses from bettors.