Gambling: Risk Assessment
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has sought assurances from the Gambling Commission that data-protection impact assessments and any other assessments required under data-protection legislation have been completed in respect of Financial Risk Assessments.
Answered by Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
The 2023 Gambling White Paper proposed Financial Risk Assessments (FRAs) as a key tool to help gambling operators consider a customer’s risk profile and intervene if necessary. The White Paper itself received significant Parliamentary scrutiny, and the detailed policy was the subject of public consultation and subsequent piloting by the Gambling Commission. Engagement with the Department took place throughout this period.
On 7 July 2026, the Gambling Commission announced that its Board had decided to implement FRAs in a careful, phased way and that a full consultation response would be published in the Autumn. The Commission made these evidence-based decisions under the statutory powers provided to them under the Gambling Act 2005, and specifically to support the Gambling Act licensing objective to protect children and other vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling, working closely with the government throughout. All relevant impacts were considered alongside harm reduction, including: reducing friction for customers, data protection, impacts on industry and impacts on specific sectors including horseracing.
The Gambling Commission’s Board will continue to have oversight of implementation and evaluation. The Government will continue to engage actively with the Commission on the effectiveness of implementation.
The Government recognises the significant contribution that racing makes to British sporting culture and its importance to the British economy. Horseracing is the only sport in receipt of a direct government-mandated levy which helps to drive improvements in the sport. We do recognise that the horseracing sector has concerns about FRAs. Both the former Minister for Gambling and the Gambling Commission have met the British Horseracing Authority and wider racing stakeholders to discuss these concerns. We would encourage the sector to engage constructively with the Commission during the upcoming implementation phase.
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