The long-running argument over how closely gambling operators should examine their customers’ finances sharpened this week, when MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Committee wrote to the Gambling Commission questioning its plans for financial affordability assessments. The letter, published on 10 July, asks the regulator to explain the evidence base behind the policy, the methodology it used, its assessment of the impact on consumers and industry, and how far stakeholders were consulted before decisions were taken.
Committee chair Dame Caroline Dinenage framed the concern in both directions: people at risk of gambling-related debt need proper support, she said, but regulation must recognise the industry’s economic…