An Expert Take On The Gambling White Paper

Following the recent release of the long-anticipated Gambling White Paper, we believe it's an opportune time to discuss its potential effects given we are a leading recruitment consultancy for the iGaming & Sports Betting industry.?

What is the Gambling White Paper?

Have you heard a lot of buzz about the recently released Gambling White Paper, but you're not entirely sure what it is? Wonder no longer; our industry experts have provided a simple explanation below:

The Gambling White Paper is a 268-page document proposed by the UK government. It sets out their approach to tackling gambling-related issues within the UK. The newly introduced Gambling White Paper reviews the 2005 Gambling Act and proposes new and enhanced measures to ensure safe gambling can continue to be practised within the country.

Key factors outlined in the Gambling White Paper?

Affordability Checks

The paper describes changes to the affordability checks conducted by gambling companies throughout the country. Affordability checks will be prompted by 'moderate spending levels' of either ￡125 in net losses over one month, or ￡500 in net losses over one year. Players who have lost over ￡1,000 within a 24-hour period or ￡2,000 within a 90-day period will be subject to further affordability checks as this is a strong indicator of ‘binge-gambling’.?

The government has proposed reducing these thresholds by 50% for those aged between 18 and 24 as?there is evidence to suggest this age group is most likely to be affected by the risks of gambling.

Since there are currently no limits to online slot betting, the paper also discusses the introduction of maximum stake limits of between ￡2 and ￡15 per spin for online slot machines and games.

Advertising

The Gambling White Paper states that bettors will have more control over the types of gambling-related advertising they see. The paper proposes that gambling providers should clearly state the risks associated with gambling and take further measures to ensure that their marketing efforts are not easily accessible to children or those who have had previous gambling addictions.??

To promote safe gambling and comply with proposed enhanced advertising measures set out by the UK government, the Premier League has stated that gambling sponsors will be removed from football players' shirt fronts starting from the 2026/2027 season. Shirt front gambling sponsorships are worth an estimated ￡60m. This decision aims to further reduce the exposure of children and under 18’s to gambling and the association with football legends that such sponsorships carry.

Young People & Under 18’s

Although “self-reported gambling participation” among those aged under 18 has decreased significantly in recent years, the UK government has discussed that they plan to continue implementing more stringent measures to prevent underage gambling in any form. This includes the use of scratch cards, online betting, and participation in football pools where the legal age remains at 16 years old.

What does this mean for the future of the iGaming and Sports Betting industry?

We spoke with? Michael Byrne , Chief Operating Officer at? Department of Trust to hear about his thoughts on the newly introduced Gambling White Paper and what this means for the sector.

Department of Trust?was founded in 2021 by? Charles Cohen ?in response to various issues surrounding financial checking methods within the gambling industry, such as the intrusiveness and time-consuming process of sharing various bank statements. When speaking with Michael, he explains a main goal of Department of Trust is to make the exchange of data easier, streamlining processes for both gambling operators and customers. Additionally, Department of Trust aims to provide users with a simple way to track their spending, set limits for themselves, and receive alerts when they approach their spending limits.

Department of Trust has since founded BetBudget, a unique consumer facing app designed specifically for bettors which provides an insight into their gambling spending. To use BetBudget, customers are prompted to connect their banks using open banking to the app, which then produces an analysis of their betting across all online accounts. Additionally, BetBudget provides users with an insight into other outgoings, such as utility bills and mortgage payments to analyse their spending across the board. Unlike other platforms, the BetBudget app does not use any marketing methods associated with gambling, credit card, or loan offers. Therefore, users will never receive offers or incentives to engage in such activities and as a result the app is becoming a trusted tool for many people who gamble in the UK.

Michael explains the White Paper has effectively solidified the requirement and understanding that there will be some form of affordability checking at a certain threshold of player loss. Michael states:

“I think that’s really important as it levels the playing field for the operators.”

He goes on to explain what the proposed staking limits for slot players will mean for both operators and bettors:

“If they take the approach that there is a minimum staking limit but it can be raised if the customer then proves they can afford the higher rate, this will result in an even larger number of people who will need to be checked, and be in addition to those affected by the thresholds which have been quantified in the white paper.”

“In terms of a revenue perspective, we have seen analysis that suggests 50% of most operators’ revenue will be derived from customers who are required to do these kinds of checks. The number of customers affected, people often talk about as a small number, but in fact, the revenue impact from processes which affect the customers experience negatively is really high for the whole industry. Open banking provides operators with up to date and accurate data and in the case of our offering, analysis that makes processes faster and decisioning reliable and consistent”.

Let us know your thoughts on what has been proposed in the Gambling White Paper in the comments section.