DCMS Advisor Steps Down From Gambling Act Review Group After Affordability Policy Shift

(AsiaGameHub) –   A significant departure has taken place within the Gambling Act Review Evaluation Advisory Group concerning affordability checks, following the exit of Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) advisor James Noyes, as reported by the Racing Post.

Noyes reportedly felt compelled to leave his role on the panel, expressing that proceeding with the policy rollout this month without proper evaluation is “clearly unacceptable” and lacks any “meaningful assessment.”

Since their introduction as part of the White Paper, affordability checks have faced criticism from various industry stakeholders. Although Noyes had initially supported such measures, he later changed his stance.

In a letter sent last month to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, Noyes requested that the implementation of the scheme be postponed.

According to the Racing Post, Noyes stated in his correspondence that he believed it inappropriate to approve affordability checks at the Gambling Commission’s upcoming board meeting scheduled for 21 May.

‘Clearly unacceptable’

Noyes expressed astonishment that controversial financial risk assessments are being rolled out by the Gambling Commission prior to any meaningful or independent evaluation of the policy. He described the situation as “clearly unacceptable.”

He further commented that during meetings of the advisory group, there was no opportunity to discuss the potential effects of these checks on consumer and operator behaviour, particularly regarding harm reduction.

Noyes emphasized that the government has an obligation to ensure legislative proposals undergo adequate evaluation. In the case of the Gambling Act review—and especially financial risk assessments—he claimed this standard has not been met, resulting instead in confusion.

Noyes also criticized the data used to establish spending thresholds for affordability checks, calling it “outdated and potentially irrelevant due to inflation.” Additionally, he pointed out that “frictionless” checks were halted after discrepancies emerged between credit reference agencies regarding the same customer, and highlighted that these checks were “extremely detrimental” to horse racing.

Stuart Andrew, former DCMS minister, concurred that affordability checks should be paused until they can be confirmed as genuinely frictionless for consumers.

“Gambling reform must protect individuals from addiction and severe mental health harm,” Andrew said. “As minister, I made it clear that affordability checks must be truly frictionless and should not push punters toward unregulated markets. The government should pause this initiative and return it to parliament for reconsideration.”

The issue of affordability checks was also addressed in a recent episode of iGaming Daily.