Andrew Rhodes, Gambling Commission CEO, has penned an open letter to Racing Post readers, following repeatedly inaccurate or unbalanced stories related to proposed financial risk checks.
The open letter starts out by explaining that: “The Racing Post has refused to publish the letter despite its content being highly relevant to readers.
“Considering this blatant lack of balance in a newspaper we have decided to publish the letter on our website.”
The financial checks were proposed during the White Paper released by the UK Government back in April 2023.
These could be introduced to identify users who are at risk of gambling-related harm, so that operators can step in with the necessary measures.
As explained in this recent post by the Gambling Commission, only around three percent of user accounts would undergo financial risk assessments.
Rhodes continues: “We understand that there may be some concerns about the Government and the Gambling Commission proposals from consumers who are concerned about potential privacy issues.
“However, as a regulator, we must help clear up misunderstandings about these proposed checks so that all Racing Post readers can engage with our consultation in an informed way.
“Firstly, readers could easily assume – based on the volume and nature of the coverage – that under the proposals a good proportion of gambling consumers would have to be handing over payslips or bank statements when they want to place a bet.”
The open letter also goes on to explain that the Racing Post had not made it clear that these checks would only apply to online gambling, excluding bookmakers and racetrack betting.
