GC’s Tim Miller flags ‘disconnect’ between regulator and sector in FRAs debate

Speaking at iGB Live on Wednesday, Gambling Commission executive director Tim Miller said the regulator’s financial risk assessment (FRA) pilot had flagged a cohort of players in arrears, which were not being picked up by operators’ current processes.

“We want to focus on those,” he told the audience. Miller said there was a “disconnect” between the regulator and industry over FRAs, after significant pushback from the sector regarding the potential policy.

Initially described as “rebranded affordability checks” by some in the sector, FRAs were first proposed in the Gambling Act review white paper. A pilot scheme was initiated by the Commission in August 2024.

A number of tier one operators participated in the pilot, which triggered additional checks when a player’s net monthly deposit hit £500 in the first light touch check. A second phase from February 2025 lowered the net deposit to a threshold of £150 or above.

In May 2025, the Gambling Commission said the vast majority of checks (97%) in the second half of the pilot had been considered “frictionless”.

‘People have forgotten the pupose of FRAs’

But a targeted attack against the policy saw the Commission in May delay its decision on fully implementing the checks.

“I think a lot of people have forgotten the purpose of the policy in the white paper. It’s about being really focused upon higher-spending customers where there is evidence of financial distress,” Miller said on Wednesday.

He said information unlocked by reference agencies had provided a clear understanding of financial distress ithout impeding the customer journey. “I think it will do the opposite as long as they are implemented properly,” Miller added.

When asked about the timeline for the implementation of FRAs, Miller, who announced his exit from the Gambling Commission this week, said he didn’t have an answer yet. He said the regulator had both been criticised for rushing, as well as for taking too long on the policy.

“We’ve taken our time deliberately. Regulatory peers around the world are very keen to see what we do on this,” Miller said.

Speaking on the illegal market, he criticised the role of tech giants in tackling the growing threat. He said tech companies were “failing British consumers” by not acting quickly enough to restrict black market sites and their marketing.

Additionally, Miller said those fighting the black market needed to become as well connected as the criminal networks running these operations. Affiliates and B2B suppliers were flagged as a “big part of the problem”.

Again operators were called upon to carry out due diligence against their supplier and affiliate partners to ensure they have no black market links. Miller noted that some operators were pioneering the fight against illegals, naming Entain’s Simon Zinger as “impressive”.