UK affordability checks petition surpasses 100k signatures

Added: November 30, 2023

The petition combating the implementation of strict affordability assessments for gambling in the UK has recently reached 100 thousand signatures.

Surpassing 100 thousand signatures is a significant milestone for petitions in the United Kingdom, as this is a requirement for the country’s government to discuss the issues presented by it in Parliament. The petition fighting against the proposed affordability assessments managed to achieve this target in just under a month.

The petition was originally initiated by Nevin Truesdale, the CEO of the Jockey Club, who outlined that the proposed reviews would be too intrusive for the majority of gambling enthusiasts. He added that the strict requirements, which could apply to gamblers losing less than 1.5 pounds per day, would be likely to push many players to unlicensed gambling businesses.

In addition to having to discuss the issue in Parliament, the country’s government has also issued a response to the opposition to the affordability checks, as all petitions that surpass 10 thousand signatures are responded to in the country. The government’s statement read that it shares the industry’s goal of not over-regulating the pastime, as betting supports various sports such as thoroughbred racing. The statement continued by mentioning that the government and the country’s gambling regulator, the Gambling Commission, will not mandate the checks until they’re certain that the assessments will be frictionless.

At the time of writing, the date of the petition’s discussion in Parliament has not yet been selected.