Characterising online gamblers exceeding financial risk thresholds in the UK: A retrospective analysis using open banking data.

OBJECTIVES

In February 2025, the UK Gambling Commission mandated that online gambling operators must conduct financial risk checks for customers incurring a net loss of over £150 in any rolling 30-day period. This policy aims to mitigate gambling-related harm by identifying potentially vulnerable individuals. This study provides a pre-policy baseline profile of individuals who would have triggered these newly mandated thresholds, using large-scale open banking data.

STUDY

DESIGN

Retrospective cross-sectional analysis.

METHODS

We used a 12-month period of bank transaction data from 243,478 UK-based gamblers to characterize individuals who would have exceeded the threshold. We examined demographic and behavioural characteristics of this group and used cluster analysis to identify subgroups with distinct financial and gambling profiles.

RESULTS

Nearly a quarter of gamblers triggered the threshold and accounted for the vast majority of total gambling expenditure (∼92%). These Exceeding Threshold Gamblers (ETGs) were disproportionately male, younger, and exhibited significantly greater gambling involvement. Cluster analysis revealed three ETG subgroups, with approximately half classified as diversified spenders whose gambling appeared proportionate to income and part of broader discretionary spending, while others exhibited patterns more consistent with potential financial vulnerability.

CONCLUSIONS

While the policy may effectively flag at-risk individuals, it also captures a heterogeneous population.